


to fall among the stars

by keenwonderlandcollector



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Deaf Peter Parker, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, Starker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:22:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27009556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keenwonderlandcollector/pseuds/keenwonderlandcollector
Summary: When Tony agreed to give a speech for a college class, he never expected that there would be someone so..disinterested in him. But is there more to Peter Parker than meets the eye?
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 165
Kudos: 476





	1. O N E

**Author's Note:**

> So I wanted to try something new for me with Starker, and this time it's deaf!Peter. Hopefully this is enjoyable, feel free to let me know 😄❤️

For reasons since forgotten in a haze of late night tinkering and steady drinking, Tony had agreed to give a speech at NYU, which F.R.I.D.A.Y helpfully reminded him that he was due to give in forty-five minutes. There was a vague memory of Pepper telling him to prepare slides of his main points, which would be fine if he’d actually _written_ a speech. He’d be fine, college kids were usually just dazzled by his mere presence (if he did say so himself), he could just improvise.

Eventually, only a little (half hour) late, Tony was standing in the hallway behind the lecture hall with Isabel Thomas, and an old friend from his own college days and the lecturer of the class he was about to speak to. 

“You're late,” The redhead sighed as Tony ran a hand through his hair, nodding an apology. “do you have the slides? You were supposed to email them beforehand.”

“Well, see, I thought I’d go for something more authentic,” Tony grinned, holding his hands up. “I mean, anyone can stand there and _read_ something, I think these bright young minds deserve something more.”

“Jesus, Tony,” Isabel ran a hand through her hair before shaking her head. “alright, look, let’s just get this started, follow me.”

Once he’d been introduced and the applause was dying down, Tony’s gaze fell to the first row, where quite possibly the most beautiful being to ever walk the earth was looking up at him with doe-like brown eyes and a beaming smile, soft brown waves crowning his perfect face.

The admiration was short lived, however, as while Tony was delivering what he thought was a pretty good off-the-cuff speech, the brunette’s smile turned to frowning, occasionally glancing to the blank projector behind Tony before looking down at his lap, letting out a sigh.

It shouldn't have bothered Tony, he probably shouldn't have even noticed, but he found himself wanting to put a smile back on the face he couldn’t take his eyes off.

To no avail, unfortunately. He tried some corny jokes, some clever jokes, the whole _'you are all the future_ ' bullshit, but..nothing. 

Wrapping up, Tony gave a small bow, watching the students rise from their seats and clap enthusiastically. The brunette joined them, half-heartedly.

"Mr. Tony Stark, everyone," Isabel smiled, walking over to him and clapping politely. "thank you for coming to speak to us today."

"My pleasure,” Tony nodded, glancing back at the brunette. “thank you all for having me.”

Once the students had filed out of the lecture hall, Isabel suggested getting a coffee, which Tony gladly agreed to, the two of them heading to one of the cafes on the campus, which, to Tony’s gratitude was relatively quiet and of the people that were there left them alone. 

“So, what did you think?” Tony asked, picking up his cup and taking a sip.

“I think the fact that you still manage to get away with last minute improvising is impressive,” Isabel rolled her eyes, a smile on her face. “it’s probably a world record by now.”

“It was from the heart,” Tony placed a hand over his chest for emphasis, a grin on his face. “as always.”

“Spare me.” Isabel shook her head, taking a sip of coffee as Tony chuckled softly.

The redhead smiled at someone over Tony’s shoulder, waving at them and sitting up in her seat. Curiosity crept in and Tony glanced back, pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful brunette from the lecture hall approaching them, carrying a book in his arms.

"Tony, this is Peter Parker,” Isabel smiled when the brunette approached. “He's one of my best students and—"

"And clearly not a fan of _mine_ ," Tony raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of coffee. “judging by the total disinterest during my speech. I mean, it wasn't my best, I know that, but..even so.”

The brunette didn't respond, just looked at Tony with a curious smile, clutching the book in his arms.

"Tony," Isabelle started, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as Tony threw a smirk over at Peter.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?"

Again, Peter didn't respond, instead turning to Isabel, who was running a hand over her face.

" _Tony_ ," she hissed, looking like she wanted to slap him. “Peter is _deaf_. He's also a huge fan of yours, which is why I asked you to create slides, so he'd be able to follow what you were talking about.”

Tony half-expected the ceiling to open and flood the cafe with balloons, commemorating his one millionth foot-in-mouth moment.

"Well, you didn't..miss much." Tony shrugged at the brunette, slinking down in his chair slightly.

Peter smiled, gently setting his book down on the table, his hands flying into motion, smiling at Isabel, who nodded and gestured back, albeit more slowly.

With a nod to Tony, the pretty brunette picked up his book and headed away, disappearing into the crowd.

"So, that went well, I felt." Tony took a sip of coffee, Isabel letting out a deep sigh.

-

That evening, sitting down in the lab, drink in hand, Tony’s mind drifted to Peter. He still felt guilty, he knew he should’ve just listened to Pepper and made the damn slides, put in a little effort. Or just hire an assistant to do it for him (though Pepper had been bugging him about that too, insisting he needed one. Well, her point had well and truly been proven). Hell, he could’ve even just had F.R.I.D.A.Y throw something together. But of course, he hadn’t.

Under normal circumstances he wouldn’t care, but the thought of Peter sitting there with no idea what Tony was talking about..it made his stomach twist. And then his stupid snarky comment..he felt the need to rectify it all, somehow.

"FRI, see what you can find me on Peter Parker, NYU student.” He sat back in his chair, resting his feet up on the desk.

“Yes, boss.”

A moment later, he found himself looking at various snippets of information relating to the brunette, a particular one catching his attention.

“Is this his YouTube channel?” He murmured, opening it up and scrolling through, a couple of the thumbnails showing Peter, occasionally with another person. Checking the main page, it certainly seemed to be him, and Tony scrolled back through some of the videos, looking for a recent one.

**_'Get to know me — Q &A!' _ **

Two weeks ago, perfect. Clicking on the video before he could change his mind, plinky music that sounded ever-so-slightly like the cantina band from Star Wars filled the air, with a title screen flashing before cutting to Peter, sitting on a bed with someone, waving to the camera with a smile before signing something, red subtitles coming up below him. 

_‘Hi everyone! Welcome back to another video. This is my best friend Ned, (as most of you who watch my videos will know!) he's going to ask me some of the questions (with a little help from my aunt if needed) that you guys sent over on Instagram, and I'll be as truthful as possible..’_

The screen cut to the same red subtitles on a light blue background, _‘Question One!’_ flashing up before cutting back to Peter sitting alone on the bed. This time, Tony noticed he was wearing a t-shirt with the death star on it, in the shape of a cookie. 

_“What would your dream vacation be?”_ A voice, which Tony presumed belonged to Ned, sounded from behind the camera, and the red subtitles also flashed up before Peter responded.

_'I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, and I’d love to visit Hawaii, maybe I'll have to travel the world someday!'_

Tony found himself focused on Peter, rather than the actual questions or responses. He moved with such a grace, and expressed himself so clearly, his emotions so deeply etched on his face. His curiosity piqued however, when a very interesting question popped up.

_“You often reference the Avengers in your videos, who is your favourite?”_

_'_ _I have to go with Iron Man, without a doubt.'_

“ _Obviously_.” Sounded from behind the camera, and Peter obviously understood it as a slight pink flush coloured his face, drawing Tony’s interest. Isabel had said Peter was a fan of his, but that response, Tony dared to hope, suggested more.

After watching the Q&A video, Tony lost another couple of hours delving through the archives of Peter’s videos. There were a couple where he taught ASL to his friends, Ned and a pretty brunette girl, a few of him and Ned completing large lego sets, and ones that Tony found most interesting were the ones where Peter showed his audience his impressive engineering skills, repairing various machines with an ease that belied the actual difficulties of the process. 

When Peter was really concentrating, Tony discovered his brow furrowed, and occasionally the tip of his pink tongue would slip between his lips, slowly gliding across his top lip in a way that was beginning to get under Tony's skin in the most delicious way. Sometimes he'd look up at the camera with a beaming smile, or stick out his tongue, smiling to himself as he went back to fixing up the old monitor or VCR or whatever it may be. It didn’t matter. 

Tony was hooked.


	2. T W O

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strange feeling plagues Peter, something he can’t put his finger on, until the answer drops in unexpectedly.

Laying in bed and staring up at the ceiling, Peter couldn’t shake the strange feeling rooted in his body. It wasn’t  _ bad _ , necessarily, it was just..something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He couldn’t think of anything that was bothering him, or that he was worried about. 

It had been a restless night, sleeping for an hour then being awake for two, on and off all night. Peter had finally fallen asleep properly by six, though once his alarm went off two hours later he didn’t bother trying to go back to sleep. Grabbing his phone, he realised it was now ten, and he probably shouldn’t spend his entire Saturday in bed. He had more than enough to keep him occupied between assignments, editing a video for his channel and finishing off another one.

But, all that could wait, some things were more important. 

Taking the blanket from his bed and draping it around his shoulders (had to be done), he padded into the living room and found it empty, a neatly written note sitting on the coffee table.

_ Pete, _

_ Got called into work early, should be home by six latest. _

_ Have a great day! _

_ Love you, _

_ May x  _

Peter often found himself alone in the apartment on Saturdays, always feeling like he should do something more exciting than watching TV and studying, but inevitably fell back into routine. Leaving his blanket down on the couch and heading into the kitchen, the brunette took his time making some toast and a cup of coffee, the strange feeling still lingering. 

It was starting to irritate him, making him feel like there was something he’d forgotten to do, or something coming up he’d forgotten about. He was confident that there wasn’t, life was the same as it ever was. Sure, Tony Stark coming to the university was a break from his normality, and a slight (okay,  _ major _ ) thrill, to see someone like that, someone he..admired, so much, up close and personal, but then things just went back to how they always were, and that was fine. 

So why this feeling now? He brushed it off, as best as he could at least, taking his simple breakfast back down to the couch and laying it on the coffee table before throwing on the TV and cocooning back in his blanket. 

-

Even with a year of them under his belt, Peter still found most of his assignments incredibly dull. The actual subjects were interesting, and he was looking forward to applying them practically in the future, but right now, sitting at his desk with his physiology book open in front of him, he was practically falling asleep.

Though, that could just be from not sleeping last night, he wasn’t sure. Deciding to take a break for a while, Peter picked up his phone and opened Instagram, scrolling through mindlessly, nothing capturing his interest. After a few minutes he noticed an ad for the latest Stark Expo in a couple of weeks. He’d tried in vain to get tickets, as had Ned and MJ, the three of them admitting defeat. Peter scrolled past the ad, letting out a sigh before leaving his phone back down on the desk. The day couldn’t end soon enough, as far as he was concerned.

Once Peter had managed to stay awake long enough to finish off his assignments, he checked the video he was due to finish editing. Peter always sent the first take to Ned for suggestions (and the fact that his best friend could have three videos edited by time Peter had made one change), and found the video sitting in his email almost finished. In preparation of the upcoming holiday, it was a Halloween-themed video, with him and MJ making various ‘spooky’ cupcakes. Due to their combined culinary talents, it had been an absolutely  _ disastrous _ attempt, but they’d had so much fun filming it and messing around that they decided not to keep as it was (there was a particular shot of Peter and MJ biting into two of the cupcakes (that looked scarier than any monster), Peter’s face scrunching in disgust while MJ gave a blank stare to the camera that had convinced them).

He made a few more small changes before sending it back to Ned, checking the time and realising May would probably be home soon. He gave his desk a quick clean, deciding to wait until after dinner before finishing off his other video. Heading into the living room, he found his aunt taking off her coat, hanging it up and brushing down her nurse’s uniform before smiling over at him.

_ ‘Hey, how was your day?’ _

_ ‘It was fine, got some college work done.’  _

He still hadn’t shaken off the strange feeling from the morning, sitting heavy in his stomach all day. For a moment May looked as if she knew something was up, taking out the clip holding up her hair and laying it down on the coffee table. Peter hoped she wouldn’t comment on it, if only because  _ he _ wasn’t even sure how to describe it. The last thing May needed was Peter’s weird, unknown feeling that there  _ might _ be something up.

Fortunately, May didn’t question it, smiling at her nephew as she shook out her hair. 

_ ‘Hungry? We could order pizza, it’s been a while.’ _

_ ‘Yeah, I could eat. Pizza sounds great.’ _

_ ‘I’ll let you order, I’m just gonna change.’  _ May smiled, heading into her bedroom as Peter flopped down on the couch, taking out his phone and opening the UberEats app. Once he’d ordered he switched on the TV, flicking through the channels before settling on a repeat on Criminal Minds. May rejoined him, filling him in on her day as they waited for their food to arrive, the two of them heading into the kitchen to get a drink.

Eventually the pizza arrived, and Peter hadn’t realised how hungry he’d been until he’d wolfed down two slices in record time, already reaching for a third as May laughed. They put on a movie, and while Peter was conscious that he wanted to finish his video he felt the need to spend time with May. Not that she ever asked him to, but he knew she’d been working a lot more lately, often leaving and coming home when Peter was asleep or out of the apartment. He went into the kitchen and poured a bag of marshmallows into a bowl, picking at them as he brought them back to the living room, focusing his attention back on the film. 

After a while, May picked up her book from the coffee table and Peter decided to go and finish his video before he got too tired. With a quick hug goodnight to his aunt, he took the remaining marshmallows into his room and set them down on his desk before getting everything ready.

His latest video was centered around repairing a monitor, one of his easier videos, but they still proved popular, always getting glowing comments. He’d been overwhelmed by the response when he’d first started posting videos eighteen months ago, never expecting that people would be as kind and funny and supportive as they had been. 

As with everything, there were some negative comments, but they were far outweighed by the positive, and Peter had been encouraged to continue. He liked to try different things out, some were successful (his  _ ‘A Day In The Life Of A Deaf Student!’ _ video had recently passed 5k views, and he’d gotten so many incredible comments, as well people sharing their stories with him, and people taking an interest in his life. Others were less successful in terms of outcome, such as the baking or when he and Ned attempted to paint a portrait of each other and they ended up looking like something a five year old would scoff at, but it was one of his funniest videos). 

He picked at the marshmallows while he worked, lost in concentration. For these types of video he often did all the repairs first, and then added in the instructions later, Ned expertly layering it all together. Occasionally he looked up at the camera and gave a dramatic sigh, or smiled cheesily. In his first few videos he’d been reluctant to look directly at the camera, but he’d come to enjoy interacting with it, wanting anyone watching to feel like he was interacting with  _ them _ .

Once he was happy with what he’d done, he tidied up and sent the video off to Ned, a new email catching his eye before he clicked out of it. The email account he was in was one he’d set up for his channel after a couple of people had asked to get in contact with him to share their experiences, and he’d made some amazing friends, both hearing and Deaf. 

He presumed the new email would be along those lines, so when he opened it he hadn’t been expecting anything out of the ordinary, beyond the fact that the sent time was one in the morning.

Until he began to read it, his jaw slowly edging closer to the floor.

**_Peter,_ **

**_Tony Stark here, if, and I wouldn’t blame you, you don’t believe that just give a quick scroll down. (I was going to use a newspaper but that seemed a little..cliche)_ **

**_I happened upon your YouTube channel the other day and I just wanted to let you know that you’ve got a serious talent. That video of you and the brunette girl dancing? Phenomenal._ **

**_In all seriousness (well, the dancing was actually very good), I’ve watched some of your repair videos, and I know it’s not as easy as you make it look. You’ve got some serious skills in that department and can’t help but feel they’re not being utilised to their full potential. I don’t know if the college offers any internship opportunities (I know, I probably should. Or I could just look it up. Anyway) but if not I think you’d be ideal for one we’re setting up here early next year._ **

**_Also, I wanted to apologise for the other day, I wasn’t feeling 100% (AKA major hangover, if I’m being honest) and I can only hope I didn’t offend you in any way._ **

**_-TS._ **

Once he’d managed to scoop his jaw off the floor, Peter scrolled down further to find a photo of Tony, holding his hand up with what looked like the day’s date written on it, an easy smile on his face. 

No big deal, just his personal idol and, okay,  _ slight _ (ahem) crush, emailing him. That was fine.

Totally fine.

So Peter convinced himself, as he grabbed his phone, hurriedly opening up his group chat with Ned and MJ.

**Peter: OH MY GOD TONY STARK MAYBE JUST EMAILED ME WHAT DO I DO??** 😲

**Ned: Holy shit dude! 😄**

**MJ: That’s a little sus, ngl. You sure it's him..?**

He was pretty sure..but MJ did have a point. He’d sent a photo with the date, and had referenced meeting Peter, even so..

**Peter: I think it might be him, but..I don’t know?? Help!**

**Ned: This is crazy, are you sure it’s him? If it is..fuck!**

**MJ: Okay, here’s what you do. Reply asking him to write ‘Aeolist’ on his hand and send a picture of it.**

In theory it would prove it really was him, but that would mean..Tony Stark had seen his videos? Was offering him an internship? Had remembered him at all?

Setting his phone down on his desk, Peter stood up, pacing back and forth before he decided what to do, taking a deep breath before sitting back down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter Parker having a crush on Tony Stark? Groundbreaking.
> 
> But, I hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless 👌
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who left comments/kudos/bookmarked the first chapter, I'm incredibly grateful ❤️
> 
> Ultimately I am striving for this story to be accurate, respectful and most of all enjoyable to read, and I hope it comes across. I love hearing from you, so please feel free to let me know what you thought, it means the world 🙌
> 
> And finally, just another huge thank you to the wonderful anon who commented and left very supportive feedback and incredible advice, I can't thank you enough ❤️


	3. T H R E E

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finds himself becoming more enthralled with Peter.

A week later, on a crisp fall Saturday morning, Tony found himself sitting in a small, slightly hipster-ish (going by the barista’s man bun and the fact that there was a wiry black cat sitting on the armchair in the corner) cafe in Queens, scrolling through his phone as he waited. An email from Bruce popped up on the screen, and Tony found himself wondering for the millionth time why the man couldn’t just _text_ instead of sending three-hundred-word emails just to say _‘see you this afternoon.’_

“Hey, there you are.”

Looking up, Tony was greeted by May Parker, shuffling off her dark green woolen coat and mustard beret. There were dark circles under her eyes, a tirdness in her movements.

“Hey, Peter not with you?” Tony asked, praying he didn’t sound too disappointed.

“He’s just around the corner at a bookstore, he’ll be here in a minute,” May smiled, hanging her coat on the back of the chair adjacent to Tony. “did you order? I’m just gonna get something for myself and Peter.”

“I’m all set.” Tony held up his americano, taking a sip as May headed over to the counter.

Peter Parker, as it turned out, was not just beautiful, intelligent and the occupant of 99% of Tony’s thoughts, he was also polite to a fault. He’d been putting off accepting Tony’s internship offer, stating various reasons why he couldn’t, Tony not accepting any of them. He could tell the younger man was just being ridiculously polite, and when Peter had said he’d have to check with his aunt, Tony had decided to just get in touch with her himself. 

He’d been curious about Peter’s living situation, not finding anything on his parents, or just not digging deep enough. May seemed younger than Tony, and from what Tony _had_ uncovered she’d raised Peter alone after her husband died five years previously. While Tony was lost in thought the bell above the door rang, with Peter stepping inside, small brown bag in hand. His green hoodie was practically swimming on him, and the denim jacket he had over added to the bulkiness that Tony suspected covered a very toned physique, if Peter’s YouTube videos and Instagram photos were anything to go by. 

The brunette spotted May first, heading over to his aunt, the two of them signing to each other, before May gestured back to where Tony was sitting. Peter’s expression promptly turning to shock, before quickly regaining his composure and shooting a small smile in Tony’s direction, the older man raising his hand in return. Peter quickly signed something to his aunt, who simply nodded in return, smiling at her nephew before the two of them came to sit at the table Tony was occupying.

A thrill went through Tony as he signed a greeting to Peter, the younger man’s face lighting up with joy (those late night attempts to teach himself some basic ASL had paid off). Tony was a little..clunky in his movements, but he found it was getting easier to understand, particularly when Peter (graciously) slowed down his movements. May was also very helpful, being able to go between them if needed.

Saying that, Tony felt as though he could understand every single emotion Peter was feeling at any given time, his facial expressions revealing a thousand words.

Or maybe the older man just enjoyed looking at that breathtakingly beautiful face, soft lips and warm eyes.

“So,” May smiled over at Tony. “Peter told me you’ve offered him an internship?”

“Yes,” Tony nodded, smiling across at Peter. “I stumbled upon his YouTube channel and I was incredibly impressed, particularly with his engineering skills. We'd love to get him on board, I certainly think he's an excellent candidate, but he's holding out on me.”

“I'm aware,” May sighed, looking over to her nephew. “though I can't think why. He's more than capable and it's always been a dream of his to work for you.”

While Peter _had_ been signing slowly, Tony couldn't quite follow the brunette as he turned his attention to his aunt, letting out a sigh and moving his hands quickly.

_"Peter,”_ May insisted, speaking as she signed. “ _you absolutely do deserve this. It's an incredible opportunity and there's no way I'm letting you pass it by.”_

" _I wouldn't have offered if I didn't think you were perfect for it,"_ Tony smiled, attempting to sign as he talked, Peter looking back at him. _"I promise it won't interfere with your college work, we can work out a schedule that suits you."_

' _I,'_ Peter started, shifting slightly in his seat and signing slowly. _'I don't want you to feel like you have to do this. I'm incredibly grateful but you really don't need to.'_

_“Peter,”_ Tony wasn't sure what to say (for once in his life. Miracles _can_ happen, evidently), he just felt the need to convince Peter to accept his offer. Tony's own.. _personal_ feelings about the brunette aside, Peter was phenomenally talented, there was no doubt about it, and Tony just wanted to give him an opportunity to put those talents to good use.

He explained as best he could, May helping him out on a couple of words, though Peter seemed to understand the point Tony was trying to make.

Beside him, May signed something to her nephew, staying silent as she did, and by the look on Peter's face it was obviously something deeply personal.

_'Okay, Mr. Stark,'_ Peter nodded after a moment. _'I'll do the internship, if it's alright with you.'_

_“Hey, there couldn't be an internship without you.”_ Tony grinned, enjoying the slight tinge of pink that coloured Peter's face.

_“Perfect, I'm glad we got that sorted out.”_ May smiled, a waitress coming over to them and leaving two cappuccinos in front of May and Peter, as well as three plates of stacked pancakes.

“I thought you might be hungry.” May smiled as Tony looked down at the plate in front of him in confusion.

Was every Parker just ridiculously sweet? Tony began to think their DNA was 50% pure sugar.

The cat that had been sitting in the corner made its way over to the table, hopping up into Peter’s lap and occasionally attempting to paw at his pancakes, May snapping a picture. Peter had come out of his shell more and more throughout breakfast, and Tony found himself more and more enthralled by him.

They finished up, and Tony remembered the other reason he’d wanted to meet Peter. He waited until May excused herself and went to the restroom before producing the plain white envelope from inside his suit jacket and handing it over to the brunette, who accepted it with a confused smile.

_“I don’t know if you have these already, but in case you don’t, enjoy.”_ Tony smiled.

Peter turned the envelope in his hands, examining it for a moment before slowly peeling it open, peeking inside and letting out a soft gasp. 

_‘Seriously?’_ He asked, setting the envelope down on the table.

“Seriously.” Tony nodded, watching as Peter picked back up the envelope as if it were a a precious gem, a gentle smile on his face.

-

“FRI,” Tony murmured, taking a sip from the glass in his hand. “what time is it?”

“Eleven fifteen, boss.”

Tony could’ve sworn it was only eight, oh well. He’d spent the majority of the day working on a couple of exhibits for the upcoming expo, and Bruce had dropped by to help him with their combined centrepiece. It was still six weeks before the expo, but this was one of their biggest projects to date, and Bruce had been more..finicky than usual (Tony’s suggestion to give Natasha a call hadn’t gone over well, with Bruce spending the preceding half hour muttering under his breath).

Heading over to the couch and flopping down, Tony swirled the last of the scotch around the bottom of the glass.Taking his phone from his pocket, he tapped it against his leg a couple of times before typing out a quick text, getting a reply almost instantly.

**_Hey kid, good seeing you today. Glad to have you on board, and look forward to seeing you again soon. —TS._ **

**_Hi Mr. Stark, I was just going to text you! I wanted to say thank you again for the expo tickets and obviously for the internship. I can't wait to be under you_ **

****

Before any _very pleasant_ images could burst into Tony's mind, his phone buzzed again.

**_*working under you! Sorry, finger slipped_ ** **🙈**

~~**Looking forward to having you under me too.** ~~ **_No worries Peter_ **. 

Draining the last of his drink, Tony rubbed a hand over his face, the kid would be the death of him. 

And he couldn’t wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! It's definitely the most challenging fic I've written but in a great way, it pushes me to really think about the characters in a different way (though of course they're still lovestruck dorks, that's a given👌)
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who's left feedback, you're all absolute stars and I adore you ❤️ Please feel free to let me know what you thought of this chapter, or just the story so far, I love hearing from you 😄
> 
> (P.S: In my head, when May signs to Peter in the cafe she tells him that Ben would want him to take the internship, and would be so proud of him)


	4. F O U R

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Peter is only a slight brat, and Tony eats it up.

__

_ ‘Hey, sorry I’m late.’ _

Peter sat down at the table MJ and Ned were already sitting at, shuffling off his jacket and hanging it up on the back of the chair.

_ ‘That’s okay, I ordered for you like you asked.’  _ MJ nodded to the counter, leaning back in her chair.

It had become routine in the last couple of weeks to meet MJ and Ned at the cafe where he’d met Tony on a Saturday morning, the only problem being that as it was around the corner from his favourite bookshop, inevitably sidetracking him.

_ ‘Get anything good? _ ’ Ned asked, gesturing to the brown paper bag Peter had left on the table. 

_ ‘Oh, yeah, I found this,’  _ Peter smiled, taking the book out of the bag and passing it over to his friend, who wrinkled his nose.

_ ‘Pride and Prejudice. Really?’ _ Ned raised an eyebrow, passing the book to MJ.

_ ‘It’s a classic,’ _ Peter insisted, turning to MJ. _ ‘back me up?’ _

_ ‘Peter’s right, _ ’ MJ nodded, a small smirk on her face as she examined the novel.  _ ‘I mean, it’s not really my thing but..I can see why you’d like it..’ _

Before Peter could read  _ too _ much into the look on his friend’s face, the blonde waitress came over, placing a delicious looking toasted sandwich and a coffee with a cute spider-web design down in front of him. MJ’s mug had a gravestone while Ned’s had a ghost, the three of them almost reluctant to ruin the artwork, sipping delicately.

As they were eating, the black cat that had taken up residence slinked over to them, jumping up into Peter’s lap as he always did.

_ ‘He’s obsessed with you, it’s not fair.’ _ MJ frowned slightly, her eyes meeting the cat’s.

_ ‘I can’t help it that I’m so popular.’  _ Peter smirked, smiling down at the cat in his lap, who was eyeing the remnants of the sandwich on his plate.

_ ‘We should really give him a name, I asked the waitress last week and she said he doesn’t have one yet.’  _ Ned explained, smiling as Peter tore off a small piece of bread,  feeding it to the feline, who chewed happily before curling up in Peter’s lap.

‘ _ I have it, the perfect name.’  _ Peter beamed. 

Ned and MJ both looked at him expectantly.

_ ‘Chewie. I mean, he’s clearly a loyal companion, he’s of another species and he’s just a big old furball. It’s perfect, right?’ _

MJ informed the waitress of their choice, who loved it, and Chewie was dutifully christened as such. 

_ ‘So I’ll see you guys tonight then? Say..eight?’  _ MJ looked between the two boys, taking her jacket from her chair and slipping it on.

_ ‘Perfect, we’ll see you then.’  _ Peter smiled, the three of them heading out of the cafe, MJ heading one way and Peter and Ned heading back to Peter’s apartment. May was working all day, and with it being Halloween she’d probably be gone for most of the night as well. Peter and Ned decided to film another video, this time going for  **_‘10 Years of Friendship - How Well Do We Really Know Each Other?’_ ** setting everything up in the living room. 

It was a fun afternoon, the two of them trying to find as many embarrassing questions as possible to ask. Their Halloween video of Peter and MJ making the world’s most inedible cupcakes had been posted last night, and seemed to be going over well, most of the comments revolving incredibly positive, to Peter’s delight. 

As the afternoon crept into the evening, Peter’s phone began to light up, and he was relieved Ned was out of the room, his face slightly flushed as he saw another text coming in from Tony, followed a minute later by another.

**_I’m beginning to think you’re ignoring me on purpose, Pete. I can’t tell if I like it._ **

**_I don’t like it._ **

**_Sorry, we were filming a video and my phone was in the other room. Or maybe I WAS just purposefully ignoring you, we’ll never know.._ ** **👀**

**_And to think I was here thinking you were so kind and sweet, evidently I’m dealing with a total brat_ **

**_Well.._ ** 😈

It still felt so  _ surreal _ to be in regular contact with Tony Stark, though texting made it much less..intimidating. They talked about anything and everything, usually later at night, Peter laying in bed and smiling like crazy. He still couldn’t believe that Tony was taking the time to talk to him, to hear about chemistry homework and what he had for dinner, what he was  _ wearing _ . That had been a joke, Tony insisted, though ironically Peter hadn’t been wearing anything but a towel at the time, reading the message after coming out of the shower. He had been tempted to tell Tony as such but held back. 

Tony Stark was a flirt, Peter (and pretty much everyone else on the  _ planet _ ) knew that, and there was no real reason why he wouldn’t be like that with Peter. It didn’t  _ mean _ anything. Still, it didn’t stop Peter daring to flirt back just a little sometimes, Tony certainly hadn’t discouraged him. 

When Ned came back into the living room Peter quickly pocketed his phone and threw on a casual smile, hoping he didn’t look too conspicuous. Ned teased him about Tony as it was. 

_ ‘We should probably get ready to head to MJ’s, what do you think?’  _ His best friend asked, raising an eyebrow.

_ ‘Oh, yeah, let me just get my stuff.’ _ Peter nodded, getting up from the couch and heading into his bedroom, taking an old blue gym bag and throwing it onto his bed. They were spending the night at MJ’s, as they always did on Halloween, her parents attending some fancy party uptown. Peter wondered what Tony did for the occasion, go to a party? Stay home? Dress up? Oh,  _ god _ . Don’t go down that route, too many distracting images.

Grabbing some clean clothes for the morning and his pyjamas, Peter placed them into the bag before searching for his phone charger, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket.

**_I knew it. You don’t even need a costume (though if you want to wear one anyway I wholeheartedly encourage it, particularly the highly inappropriate ones)_ **

Sitting down on his bed for a minute, Peter took a breath, his eyes lingering on the screen.

-

Walking down the leafy street towards MJ’s place, a gaggle of kids ran past them, almost knocking them over in their excitement. When they arrived at MJ’s they found the door open, the brunette at the door in a witch’s hat, two kids standing in front of her, dressed as princesses. Well, under they turned around and revealed the gory face paint adorning them, happily skipping down the steps and past Peter and Ned. 

_ ‘Hey, come on in, pizza’s ordered.’ _ MJ smiled, stepping aside to let the two boys in, closing the door after them.

_ ‘Pepperoni?’ _ Peter asked, setting his bag down in the hall.

_ ‘Obviously.’ _ MJ rolled her eyes, linking their arms.

-

Later that night, Peter sat curled up on the couch, smiling to himself as he texted Tony, his eyes flickering to the movie playing on the TV every now and then. As he was typing a reply, he felt something light hit his forehead, frowning as he turned to see MJ smirking at him.

_ ‘What was that for?’ _

_ ‘Tony Stark more interesting than my excellent choice of film?’  _

_ ‘I don’t know what you mean.’  _ Peter shrugged, MJ rolling her eyes.

_ ‘It’s pretty obvious, Pete.’ _

She was right, and Peter let out a soft sigh, scratching the back of his neck. He was terrible at hiding his emotions. Tony had been teasing him about a costume, and a small part of Peter wished he had something to show, just to see the older man’s reaction.

_ ‘Could you help me with something?’ _ Peter glanced over to Ned, who was sitting on the armchair adjacent to them, his attention on the movie. _ ‘I need your advice.’ _

If there was any in the world Peter trusted to be honest, she was sitting next to him, nodding her head.

-

Not so far away, at an extravagant, fashionable and incredibly  _ dull _ party that he was only attending at Pepper’s behest, Tony forced a smile at the woman talking at him, completely tuned out of the conversation. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he felt his smile become natural, excusing himself and heading to a quiet corner.

Taking out his phone, he opened Peter’s message at lightning speed, his breath hitching slightly.

**_So about the whole costume thing.._ **

Time seemed to slow down to an unbearable pace, Tony glancing up from his phone to see if anyone would  _ dare _ interrupt this very important moment in his life.

Fortunately, he was left alone as his phone buzzed again, drawing his attention. He opened Peter’s message and found a selfie, though it wasn’t  _ quite _ what he’d had in mind.

Peter was winking at the camera, his lips in a slight pout as he held up his fingers in a peace sign.

**_I didn’t do it_ ** 😋

Tony couldn’t help but smile, his eyes lingering on the photo for a moment longer before slipping the phone into his pocket.

It may not have been quite what he wanted, but he loved it nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I think I'd like to, just once, write a Starker fic where they aren't total lovestruck fools as soon as they meet. but it just can't be done 🤦
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know, it means the world and then some (a teeny bit of Mars) ❤️
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone that's left a kudos/commented/bookmarked, I'm blown away by your kindness 😍 It brings me such joy to know that you're enjoying this story, which is absolutely my favourite thing I've ever written, and I just can't say thank you enough times ❤️❤️


	5. F I V E

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spending the day together, Tony and Peter grow closer. But will they do anything about it?

There was nothing wrong with it, Tony repeated to himself, pacing back and forth in the lab.

Peter was going to be interning at the company in a couple of months anyway, and there was no reason Tony couldn’t get him acquainted with the place (even if Peter was the only intern Tony knew of or cared at all about). 

He’d asked Peter the previous night during their regular texting session, and the response had been immediate, Peter asking if he could stop by after his last class of the day at two.

And so, on a mildly warm Friday afternoon, Tony found himself trying not to run to the front of the building when Peter texted him that he’d arrived, finding the brunette waiting in the lobby, a small brown bag hanging from his fingertips.

His face lit up when he saw Tony approach, giving a shy wave. 

Tony was sorely tempted to just take Peter straight up to the penthouse and keep him there for the day.

However, his respectable side (just about) won out, greeting Peter and leading him down to the lab, where Peter looked like he’d just stepped into wonderland. 

_ “Do you want to take your jacket off? You can leave your stuff over here.”  _ Tony smiled, gesturing over to a mostly empty bench.

Peter smiled, heading over at gently easing his bag off his shoulder, setting it down by the leg of the bench before shrugging off his green parka, revealing a simple navy t-shirt, a grey zip-up hoodie laying over it.

_ ‘Coffee?’  _ Tony raised an eyebrow as Peter took two cups from the brown paper bag and set them down on the bench.

_ ‘Yeah, I was getting one for myself and thought you might like one too.’  _ Peter smiled, picking up one of the cups and taking a sip.

_ ‘Thank you, I’ve been too busy to make myself one.’  _ Tony smiled, taking the other cup with immense gratitude. If he didn’t already think Peter to be the most perfect being to ever roam the earth, he certainly did now.

‘So, what do you want to see first?’ Tony asked, walking over to Peter and setting his cup down.

_ ‘Could I see..everything?’  _ Peter looked so excited and hopeful, Tony’s heart fluttering in his chest.

_ ‘Anything you want, Pete.’ _

-

Tony continued to be blown away by Peter’s intelligence, curiosity and excitement about his work, the younger man so clearly thrilled to be there. While Tony had been working on improving his ASL knowledge, he hadn’t quite gotten round to learning a lot of the more scientific terms, so if Peter had a question that went beyond Tony’s signing abilities he simply used a text-to-speech app on his phone, and they soon settled into a rhythm.

A couple of hours into the process, Tony felt pangs in his stomach, assuming by the soft noises emanating from Peter’s stomach the younger man was feeling a similar way.

“How about we get some dinner? My treat.” Tony smiled, grabbing a rag and quickly wiping his hands.

_ ‘Oh, I don’t want to impose.’  _

_ ‘I insist.’  _ Tony smiled, wondering if being an imposition was even a  _ possibility _ for the brunette. Not when it came to him, ever.

They settled on burgers (well,  _ Tony _ settled, Peter being far too polite to suggest something himself), taking a break while they waited for their takeout to arrive, sitting down at a bench and losing themselves in conversation.

Their food eventually arrived, and Tony willed himself not to notice the way Peter’s cheeks hollowed as he drank his strawberry milkshake. 

As they were finishing up, Tony glanced over at the younger man noticed a speck of bright red ketchup on his cheek, the younger man smiling over at him.

_ ‘You’ve got..’ _ Tony gestured to his own cheek, swiping slightly. Peter flushed slightly, picking up a napkin and wiping at his face. 

_ ‘Did I get it?’ _

The sauce remained on his cheek, and Tony took a breath, hoping Peter wouldn’t mind what he was about to do.

_ ‘It’s..here.’ _ Tony leaned forward, his thumb gently swiping the small glob off Peter’s face, moving back to find the brunette looking at him intently, breath shallow.

Wiping his hands with a napkin, Tony cleared his throat, breaking his gaze. 

-

After they’d eaten, (Tony just about keeping his composure) the older man offered to show Peter the latest armour update he’d been working on.

_ ‘Really?’  _ Peter looked like Tony had just offered him a million dollars

The younger man’s eyes never left Tony as the older man set himself up, attaching the repulsor to his arm, flexing ever so slightly as he held his arm up, focusing on one of the rubber dummies he’d set up for practice.

He smirked as the shot fired, knocking the dummy back, lowering his arm and turning to Peter.

_ ‘That’s so awesome!’  _ The younger man grinned, and Tony couldn’t help feeling a little proud.

_ “You wanna try it out?”  _ Tony asked, Peter looking at him incredulously.  _ “I’ll show you.” _

Tony slid the repulsor off his arm, walking over to Peter and gesturing for him to hold out his arm. The nervous excitement etched on the brunette’s face sent a thrill down Tony’s spine.

“Okay, I need you to hold your arm out straight and hold your palm up for me,” Tony explained, Peter nodding. “I’ll be right behind you, you’ll be fine.”

Once he’d got them set up, Tony moved behind Peter, gently settling his hand on the brunette’s hip and the other on his arm, holding it up. 

“Is this okay?” Tony asked as Peter glanced over his shoulder at him. Peter nodded, lightly biting his bottom lip before turning back to face the target. Tony let out a breath, holding Peter’s arm steady.

The younger man pressed back against Tony slightly as the repulsor fired, a gasp escaping his soft pink lips. Tony’s grip on his waist tightened slightly, the two of them staying like for a moment before Peter looked over his shoulder at the older man.

“Good job, you’re a natural.” Tony winked, Peter turning a delicious shade of pink, a beaming smile on his face.

-

The journey to Peter’s apartment was over far too soon, and Tony was sure that every light being green had purposely been done just to spite him.

As Tony was driving he could feel Peter looking at him, though any time he glanced over Peter quickly looked away, his hands resting in his lap.

Pulling up outside the building Tony killed the engine. His hands rested on the wheel for a moment before turning to Peter, who was looking out the window, his hands fidgeting slightly.

Peter’s eyes met his in the reflection of the glass, the younger man turning to face Tony, his eyes lingering on the older man’s lips for a moment before looking up. It would be so easy, Tony thought, to just lean over and claim the kiss he’d been longing for since he’d first laid eyes on the beauty before him.

He didn’t think Peter would stop him, but that wasn’t enough. He needed to know for sure that Peter  _ wanted _ Tony to kiss him, he didn’t want to risk pushing him away.

_ ‘I hope you enjoyed today.’ _ Tony smiled softly.

_ ‘I had a great time, thank you so much,’ _ Peter nodded, shifting slightly in his seat.  _ ‘for everything.’ _

The brunette’s eyes lingered on Tony’s, the air around them feeling heavy.

_ ‘I better get going,’ _ Tony hated the flicker of disappointment that appeared in deep brown pools.  _ ‘tell May I said hello.’ _

Peter nodded, turning to open the door before looking back at Tony, the older man already prepared to throw his own rule out the window and pull Peter towards him.

_ ‘Goodnight, Tony.’ _

Peter didn’t look back as he walked towards the door of the building, but he didn’t head into the building straight away, Tony’s heart in his mouth as he watched the younger man hold the door open for a moment before heading inside, disappearing from view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For such an intelligent man, Tony Stark can be such an idiot at times 🤦
> 
> Hopefully you're enjoying this chapter, it's such a joy to write ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left feedback, it brings me so much happiness I can't even explain 😍


	6. S I X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's day goes from bad, to a little better, to crashing down.

Peter liked to _think_ that he could be a morning person some day, that he could be one of those people that just glided out of bed and went about their routine with flourish. 

But instead of a leisurely wash and having his clothes placed onto him by cartoon birds, Peter stood under the lukewarm spray of the shower half-asleep, hurriedly scrubbing himself with a cheap loofah that irritated his skin and a foul-smelling lime shower gel that had seemed like such a good idea when it was half-price at the drugstore. He threw on a pair of jeans with only a very minor crease in them and his white _‘find x_ ’ t-shirt, only realising it was on inside-out when he was halfway to the kitchen. 

Instead of sitting down at the table and having scrambled eggs and grapefruit for breakfast (he often wondered why grapefruit was a _thing_ at breakfast, May had bought some once and he vowed to never eat them again, wondering why anyone would subject themselves to such misery) while reading the New York Times, he gave a quick scroll through Instagram while hurriedly opening various cupboards as his tired brain tried to remember where the cereal was. If May was home she’d observe the scene with a wry smile, coffee in hand. 

By the time he got to his first class he was finally _somewhat_ awake, though the hour of Engineering Statistics threatened to undo his efforts. While the actual subject interested him, the professor was quite possibly the dullest man to ever walk the earth, showing up to the class in the exact same brown polyester suit every week (Peter suspected he had a wardrobe full of them, like a cartoon character) and never moving from the podium. While the majority of his other teachers would properly explain the material and provide additional notes and guidance, Professor Hannigan seemed to be in favour of just giving the class a printout of his lecture and then reading it verbatim, never looking up at the class. For the first few weeks of the class Peter had kept an eye on his laptop, just in case the man went off-script, but so far it was yet to happen.

By the time it rolled around to two o’clock he was practically racing to meet MJ at the coffee shop around the corner from the campus. 

_‘Long day?’_ MJ raised an eyebrow as Peter accepted the coffee cup she gave him. 

_‘The longest.’_ Peter nodded, the two of them heading over to Washington Square Park, MJ filling the brunette in on her morning, Peter trying not to get distracted by the buzz in his pocket. Tony had sent him a couple of texts during his last class, including a selfie of him in the lab that definitely didn’t become embedded in Peter’s mind.

They miraculously found an empty bench in the park (well, after a couple of laps) and sat down, Peter quickly checking his phone. All excitement died down when he saw that it was just a text from his mobile provider, offering some deal or other he couldn’t care less about.

After finishing their coffees, Peter and MJ did another lap of the park before heading back to the campus, making plans to meet up the following morning for their usual visit to see Chewie (Peter had been pleasantly surprised to learn that the name was now widely used amongst the regular customers)

-

His afternoon classes seemed determined to put Peter in a foul mood (though he wasn’t feeling very well anyway, wanting to go straight home and curl up in bed for the night), dragging on endlessly. By the time he was finally heading home he wanted to completely shut his mind off for the night, choosing to leave his pile of assignments until the next day when he knew he’d have the apartment to himself. 

May was still at work when he got home, and she’d texted Peter to go ahead and get dinner for himself as she wouldn’t be home before ten. He wasn’t that hungry, deciding to wait a while before making anything, heading into his room and tossing his bag down by his desk, sitting down and taking out his laptop. 

Glancing up at the corkboard above the desk, Peter’s eyes fell on the envelope Tony had given him a couple of weeks back, three tickets for the Stark Expo inside, a smile lighting up his face. He hadn’t told MJ and Ned yet, deciding to wait until nearer the time and surprising them, toying with the idea of making it into a video.

Speaking of, he decided to check the video he’d put up a couple of days previously of him and Ned doing their version of a friendship test. It seemed to be doing well, perking up Peter’s mood. He decided to check Ned’s update on his new repair video, spending about an hour adding little edits himself. 

A darkness fell over the room as he worked, the light from his laptop beginning to hurt his eyes. Taking a break, he headed into the kitchen and decided to flex his culinary skills, whipping up a plate of mac and cheese and taking it down to the couch. 

Once he’d eaten he jumped into the shower, cursing himself for not getting a new shower gel, wrinkling his nose as the scent of the lime overwhelmed him. Throwing on some grey sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt, taking his laptop into bed and draping the blanket around him and settling against the pillows. 

He grabbed his phone, smiling as he saw a message from Tony. It had been late last night before the older man had texted him, and Peter had found himself checking his phone obsessively. He had been worried for a few days after his visit to Stark Tower that he’d pushed things too far, revealing too much of himself and his feelings (only because he’d been pretty sure Tony wouldn’t mind). The next night, however, Tony had texted him as usual and Peter let himself relax. 

He sent back a quick reply, only slightly playing down his bad mood, not wanting to come across like a whiny brat. Clicking open a new internet tab on his laptop, Peter’s eye was drawn to an article on the page, the _‘Tony Stark - off the market?’_ headline making him shift slightly where he sat.

Reading through it, Peter’s heart sank, despite his efforts to keep an open mind. There were a couple of slightly blurry photos of Tony and Pepper Potts at a table in a restaurant, the photographer clearly outside the building. The writer of the article seemed convinced that the two of them were back together, and droned on about how _amazing_ they were together. Peter remembered reading their breakup a couple of years previously, when he was really starting to develop a crush on Tony. 

The rational part of Peter knew that ultimately it shouldn’t matter to him, Tony was a free agent, and could date who he wanted. Just because he’d _mildly_ flirted with Peter a couple of times didn’t mean anything. Pepper was gorgeous, smart, and had a history with Tony, whereas Peter was just a student Tony had known all of five minutes. 

The irrational part of him was ridiculously jealous. Jealous of a relationship that may or may not even exist. He tried desperately not to let it get to him but he felt a pettiness surge through him, re-reading the article a couple of times.

He saw the little light flashing on his phone, and took a breath before picking it up, seeing Tony’s reply to his previous message. 

Had Tony seen the article? Would he care? He knew what the real truth was, and would probably tell Peter if he asked. Was that too intrusive? It really wasn’t any of Peter’s business, and Tony never asked _him_ anything that personal. 

Peter was so tempted to just ask, wanting to know the truth, but decided against it, staring at the blank space waiting to be filled, his mind racing, his heart pounding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The day I grow weary of a slow burn will be a cold day in hell 👌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me now, or just say hi, i love hearing from you regardless ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left feedback, it's so appreciated and I am sending you all virtual socially distanced hugs 😘


	7. S E V E N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony decides to set the record straight, but will Peter believe him?

Slipping his phone into his pocket with a sigh, Tony took a swig of the drink in his hand before heading over to where Bruce was standing with his arms folded, the frown now semi-permanent on the man’s face. They’d been working tirelessly on the exhibits for the Stark Expo, now around the corner.

“You know what the problem is,” Tony raised an eyebrow, coming to stand beside his friend, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “You forgot to carry the one.”

“That wasn’t funny the first two hundred times.” Bruce muttered, eyeing the drink in Tony’s hand.

“I know, but I’m going for a record,” Tony grinned, gently nudging the doctor. “want one?” He gestured to his glass, taking a drink.

“Nah, I’m good,” Bruce shook his head, shrugging off the white lab coat he’d been living in. “I have somewhere to be actually, if you can spare me.”

“Absolutely not, the whole thing will fall apart without your guiding hand.” Tony sighed, leaning against the bench and checking his phone again.

“Then take this opportunity for a break,” Bruce raised an eyebrow as he pulled on his grey wool coat. “F.R.I.D.A.Y told me you haven’t been sleeping.”

“Going behind my back are we, Fri?” Tony glanced to the nearest sensor, shaking his head. “I thought we had something.”

“Dr. Banner was simply concerned about you boss, and I stand by my own concerns about your sleeping pattern of late.”

“I got it,” Tony waved a hand, leaving his phone down on the bench. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You should, Tone,” Bruce sighed, giving his best serious face (which was pretty much his regular face but with a little more frowning) as he buttoned up his coat. “we’re on top of things, you can ease off a little.”

“I will,” Tony held a hand over his chest. “I swear.”

Once Bruce had left, Tony rolled up his sleeves and pushed himself off the bench.

“Alright Fri I’m gonna need you to-”

“Boss,” The AI interjected, Tony rubbing a hand over his face.

“I’ll just finish up this last thing and then-”

“Colonel Rhodes is here to see you.”

Tony smiled as his best friend walked through the door, giving him a small nod.

“What a pleasant surprise,” Tony finished his drink, setting the glass down on the nearest surface. “what brings you here?”

“I can’t stop by to say hi?” Rhodey eyed the glass for a moment, his eyes flickering back to Tony. 

“You certainly can do that,” Tony followed his gaze, folding his arms. “if it’s not hiding some ulterior motive.”

“I met Bruce on my way up here.” Rhodey mentioned casually, and Tony couldn’t stop himself rolling his eyes.

“I’m not loving this three against one thing, I gotta say.” Tony sighed, moving to get himself another drink.

“Well if that’s what it takes,” Rhodey headed over to Tony, picking up the bottle before Tony could get it. “so be it.”

“I liked you once,” Tony frowned. “I’m struggling to remember why.”

“Come on, we’re getting something to eat,” Rhodey was, as usual, unfazed by his best friend, setting the bottle down and heading for the door. “don’t even think about saying no.”

-

Somewhat reluctantly, Tony had to admit that Rhodey was right. Digging into his burger, he wondered when he’d last eaten something more substantial than a handful of blueberries.

“So,” Rhodey looked across the table at his best friend, a curious smile on his face. “is there..anything you want to tell me about?”

For a split second Tony froze, there was no way he could be talking about..

“What uh..” He cleared his throat, trying to gauge the situation. “what kind of anything?”

“Well I just saw a very interesting article about you and a certain someone.” Rhodey raised an eyebrow, taking a drink.

Jesus,  _ that _ wasn’t helping.

“Who might that be then?” Tony asked, his chest tightening slowly.

“Pepper, I had no idea you two were..you know.” Rhodey smiled, and Tony felt a wave of relief crash over him. Until..Pepper?

“What about us?” Tony frowned, resting his arms on the table.

“Apparently you’re back together, so the rumour mill believes. There were all these pictures of you two at some restaurant looking very..well,  _ close _ .” Rhodey explained, and Tony wracked his brain to try and remember. 

“We did go out for dinner,” Tony nodded the memory slowly coming back to him. The nights had all blurred into one lately. “but only because it was late and neither of us had bothered to eat anything. We  _ are _ close, but that doesn’t mean anything. She’s with someone else, and I’m..” Tony shrugged, trying to keep his tone nonchalant. “I’m not seeing anyone, certainly not my ex-fiancee. You know what those journalists are like.”

“I thought it seemed odd, though for a minute I almost believed it.” Rhodey grinned, leaning back in his seat. “I wouldn’t put anything past you.”

-

Once Rhodey had deemed it acceptable to let Tony return home, he immediately went back to work, needing to keep his mind off wanting to check his phone every two minutes.

After a minor hissy fit from F.R.I.D.A.Y, Tony finally agreed to head to bed at midnight. He dug up the article Rhodey had told him about, rolling his eyes as he read it. He checked his messages before tossing the phone down onto the empty side of the bed, a thought formulating in his mind. 

The article had been written around the time Peter had started to get very..distant. It was most likely coincidence, but something deep within Tony urged him to explore it further, the thought consuming him before sleep slowly claimed him.

-

Pulling up outside the apartment building, Tony grabbed the paper bag sitting in the passenger seat and headed inside, bumping into a familiar figure in the lobby. 

“Oh, hey,” May Parker smiled, looking at Tony a little curiously as she buttoned her coat up over her nurse’s uniform. “what are you doing here?”

“Well I found Peter’s hoodie down in the lab, he must’ve forgotten it when he came by the other..week,” Tony hadn’t exactly imagined this scenario when he’d decided to drop by, praying he didn’t sound like too much of a creep. “and since there’s a couple of internship forms I need him to fill out I thought I’d just kill two birds with one stone.”

  
“I see,” May nodded, and Tony swallowed a breath. It wasn’t exactly the norm for someone like him to just..drop by, and he’d thought about just having the hoodie and the papers sent over, and was beginning to wonder if he should’ve. “well I’m running late for work but Pete’s upstairs if you want to head up.” 

  
Tony felt himself relax ever so slightly, letting out a steady breath. 

“It’s number 17, third floor,” May gave him a quick smile before heading to the door, turning back to him. “Just press the buzzer, he’s watching a movie so he’ll see the light above the door.”

Tony smiled, as if he hadn’t had F.R.I.D.A.Y find out Peter’s apartment number already (which may have been a slight invasion of privacy but it was an  _ important _ invasion).

Once he’d finished climbing the stairs and cursing the lack of an elevator, he found himself standing in front of the right door, feeling like a nervous teenager as he pushed the doorbell.

The longest minute of his life followed as he waited for the door to open, revealing Peter wearing pyjamas and a very surprised expression.

_ ‘What are you doing here?’ _

_ ‘You haven’t been in touch lately.’ _

_ ‘I’ve been really busy with assignments and stuff.’  _ Peter shrugged, lightly scratching the back of his neck.

_ ‘Well if you’re busy..’  _ Tony kept his eyes on Peter, enjoying the slight tinge in the younger man’s cheeks.

_ ‘No, it’s okay. Come in.’  _ Peter stepped aside, holding the door open as Tony entered the apartment. He waited until Peter had closed the door, holding up the paper bag in his hand.

_ “You left your hoodie in the lab the other week, and there’s a couple of forms to fill in for the internship.” _

_ ‘Thanks, I thought I’d lost it,’  _ Peter gave a small smile and it was everything Tony had been missing.  _ ‘I’ll just put it in my room.’ _

Tony watched Peter disappear around the corner before heading into the living room, his gaze falling on the TV, the opening of Empire Strikes Back frozen on the screen. There was a bowl of popcorn sitting on the table and Tony helped himself to a handful as he waited for Peter to return, deciding to test his theory about why the younger man had been so distant.

_ “Oh, I gotta tell you about the funniest thing I heard about,” _ Tony smiled when Peter returned (his soft curls looking a tad neater).  _ “Apparently I'm in a relationship, with my ex-fiancee of all people.” _

_ ‘Really?’  _ The flicker of hope in the brunette’s eyes spurred Tony on.

_ “Yeah, some journalist or other clearly thinks the way to a Pulitzer is to create total fiction about yours truly.”  _ Tony raised an eyebrow, enjoying watching Peter fighting a smile.

_ ‘So it’s not true then?’  _

_ “Hey, Pep's great, and I'll always care for her but..”  _ Tony shrugged, running a hand through his hair. _ “there's nothing more to it. It's funny how I'm never spotted looking intimate with Rhodey or Bruce or..”  _ His gaze lingered on Peter, a small smirk on his face.  _ “anyone else.” _

Peter’s breath hitched slightly, and Tony took a small step forward.

_ “I just thought it was funny that they could think I'm back with Pepper when I've moved on, developed new..admirations.” _ He moved in closer, his eyes falling to the younger man’s lips as Peter tentatively placed his hand on Tony’s chest.

_ “But I've taken up enough of your time, I'll let you get back to your evening.” _ Tony smirked, stepping back and enjoying the flush blooming on Peter’s face. 

With a final wink, Tony turned to grab some more popcorn from the coffee table before heading to the front door. As he was going to open it, a delicate hand grabbed his arm, squeezing ever so slightly.

He turned, raising an eyebrow as Peter stood before him, his hand slowly moving back from Tony's arm. The older man didn't move, watching intently as Peter stepped forward, breathing slowly as he closed the gap between them, a gentle hand touching Tony's cheek. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a place to end it huh? 👀
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, it was very fun to write (that last lil bit in particular was👌) feel free to let me know what you thought, it's always a pleasure to know what you thought 🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left feedback on the last chapter, you dotes ❤️❤️


	8. E I G H T

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Tony Stark is in your apartment, what are you supposed to do? Peter cetainly has an idea.

_Tony Stark is in my apartment. In a ridiculously expensive suit that makes him look even more attractive. I really want to kiss him. Am I seriously wearing my pyjamas right now? Oh_ **_god_ ** _, I couldn’t have kept my jeans on? Is my hair okay? Does he_ **_want_ ** _me to kiss him? He was flirting, right? Just do_ **_something_** _, you idiot._

Leaning in, Peter gently pressed his lips against Tony’s, the older man’s response instant. Arms wrapped around Peter’s waist, pulling him flush against a strong physique, his own hands cupping Tony’s face, trying to convince himself it was really happening.

Everything seemed to fall into slow motion as Tony gently moved backwards, his arms tight around Peter as he maneuvered them onto the couch. Any awkwardness that the brunette felt straddling Tony’s waist quickly fell away as the older man gently moved his hands up and down Peter’s back, the touch electrifying him. 

Tony slowly licked into his mouth, gently pushing things a little further as Peter let his hands trail down the older man’s neck, his nails gently scraping along the exposed skin above Tony’s collar. 

Once they moved apart for air, Peter was lost in a haze of desire, taking a breath as he met the older man’s gaze.

_'May won't be home until the morning, could you..stay?’_

_‘Of course I can, Pete.’_

Tony's thumb gently grazed his cheek, and Peter leaned into the touch slightly before kissing him again, his hands trailing down to the older man's shoulders.He lets himself get swept up in the kiss, Tony's hands settling on his hips and squeezing gently as Peter softly ground himself into the older man’s lap.

It was only when Tony was slowly trailing his hands along the younger man's lower back and gliding them down to cup Peter's ass, trailing hot kisses along his neck that the brunette felt like it was too much and not enough at the same time.

While it was a situation he'd thought about _many_ times, and was completely thrilled that was actually _happening_ , it was so much at once. He felt like he needed to take a minute and think about what he wanted, how far he wanted to take things. How far Tony was willing to take him.

_'Could we..'_ He pulled back, slightly breathless as he shifted slightly in Tony's lap. _'maybe watch the movie?'_

There was a moment where Tony just looked at him, his fingers lightly stroking Peter's thighs while the brunette’s heart stuck in his throat.

_'Whatever you want, sweetheart.'_

Relief flooded Peter, and he slowly eased off Tony's lap, tentatively cuddling up to him after clicking the movie back on. The older man's arm draped over his shoulders, pulling him closer and he relaxed, gently laying his arm across Tony's waist.

They watched the movie, paying attention for the most part. Tony kept insisting they needed more popcorn, while Peter insisted he just _watch the film,_ resorting to sitting in Tony's lap to try and get him to pay attention (Which worked in _theory_ , though they _may_ have gotten sidetracked and had to keep rewinding, the living room growing darker).

By the time the movie ended, Peter felt more confident, but was suddenly very aware that he didn’t know how Tony would want to progress. As if reading the younger man’s thoughts, Tony slowly stood up, a soft smile on his face.

_'Why don’t we go to bed?'_ Tony offered, and if Peter hadn’t imagined _that_ scenario a million times he’d be lying to himself. 

_‘Okay.’_ He nodded, any semblance of confidence crumbling beneath him as he stood up. When he’d dreamed about this situation he was always much smoother, and wearing something far more attractive than his ratty old pyjamas and a silly t-shirt.

_“We can take it as slow as you want,”_ Tony smiled softly. _‘we can go straight to sleep if that’s what_ you’re comfortable with.’

_‘No, I..’_ Peter felt his skin flush at the thought of what he wanted. _‘I want to..’_

_‘We’ll take it slow, just relax.’_ Tony reaffirmed, soothing the younger man’s nerves.

Peter nodded, gently taking Tony’s hand and leading him to his bedroom, which suddenly felt so juvenile when Tony was taking it all in, the Star Wars posters and his half-finished lego sets clashing with the elegance of Tony’s designer suit, which probably cost more than everything Peter _owned_.

_‘Hey,’_ Tony smiled, leaning against the desk. _‘you okay?’_

_‘Just..’_ Realising a huge dream, _no big deal. ‘fine, good.’_

_‘Good,’_ Tony grinned, reaching out his hand. _‘come here.’_

Once Peter had crossed the floor he melted into Tony’s embrace, the older man keeping his promise and taking things _very_ slowly, to Peter’s slight frustration. 

But he couldn’t complain too much when Tony gently led him to the bed, laying him down and worshipping him. He insisted that Peter just give him a tap or pull his hair or do the _slightest_ thing and he'd stop, but Peter wanted to take things a little further, test the waters.

Any dreams that Peter had were nothing compared to the actual feel of Tony’s hands on his body, warm breath tickling his neck, his entire body thrumming with pleasure. 

It was Tony who stopped first, gently kissing along Peter’s neck as the younger man came down from his high, Tony’s hand gently palming him through his boxers. Peter had wanted to help the older man, desperate to touch him, fell him, but Tony insisted it wasn’t necessary, stifling the brunette’s objections with a languid kiss.

Peter couldn’t remember falling asleep, his last memory a warm body enveloping him, warm breath on his neck and deft fingers tracing soothing patterns on his hip.

-

Waking up slowly, Peter stretched his arms above his head as memories of the previous night flooded into his mind. It was better than he could ever have imagined, and they hadn’t even taken things that far. A smile grew on his face as he thought of Tony above him, making him feel better than he ever had, so blissful and desperate for more. He turned around slowly, frowning as he noticed the empty spot next to him, the faint scent of the older man lingering. The bedroom door was closed, and there was no sign of Tony’s clothes on the chair. Slowly peeling the blanket back and swinging his legs onto the floor, Peter stood up and padded over to the desk, finding a note scribbled in one of his refill pads.

**_Pete,_ **

**_Heard May coming in this morning and as I don’t think there’s any innocent explanation for me still being here (and I very much like all my body parts intact) I figured I should head away while I can._ **

**_Give me a text when you wake up, if only so I’ll know you saw this and know that I didn’t just up and leave (believe me, leaving you looking like that was incredibly difficult)_ **

**_Have a great day, don’t do anything I wouldn’t. Or would, for that matter._ **

**_-TS._ **

**_P.S If last night was as good for you as it was for me then I’m the luckiest man alive, though I am anyway for having the experience._ **

Smiling to himself as he set the note back down on his desk, Peter went to grab his phone from the nightstand. His body filled with a soft tingling sensation as he sent Tony a quick message, trying not to get _too_ saccharine as he wrote and rewrote the text a couple of times.

**Hey, just saw your note. As much as I wish you could’ve stayed it was a very wise decision to leave, May would definitely have a bone to pick with you for corrupting her nephew** 👀 **So my choices for today are limited to..sitting at home staring at the walls? Or is there some loophole I can exploit? 😏 Last night was incredible, thank you for agreeing to stay with me x**

As he sent it, a text popped up from MJ, in her usual blunt manner.

**Ned’s sick, come over to mine and we’ll hang out.**

Following a quick shower, getting dressed, sending a quick text to Ned and reading the note from Tony once (or three times) more, Peter scribbled a quick note for May, leaving it on the coffee table before heading out, sending a text to MJ to let her know he was on the way.

After spending the short journey over to Brooklyn with a huge grin (courtesy of Tony sending him a photo of himself with his tongue sticking out, Dr. Bruce Banner in the background oblivious), Peter quickly threw on a more neutral expression as he made his way up the steps to MJ’s.

_‘Hey,’_ The brunette nodded as she opened the door, eyeing Peter curiously. _‘you wanna go get a coffee?’_

_‘Always.’_ Peter smiled, rolling his eyes slightly. 

MJ closed the door behind her, the two of them heading back down the steps and down the street. They went to a nearby cafe, finding a table by the window, the sunlight streaming in on them. Peter could barely keep the smile off his face as they had breakfast, particularly as Tony sent him what could only be described as stream-of-consciousness texts, most of which didn’t really make any sense but Peter enjoyed anyway. 

If his best friend suspected anything she didn’t say, but she did give him a couple of knowing smirks. A part of Peter was tempted to tell her, if only to reaffirm to himself that it _had_ actually happened, but another part of him liked having such an intimate secret with Tony. They finished up, deciding to go for a walk around the park, and to Peter’s slight surprise he was able to focus on MJ explaining her latest assignment, particularly when she mentioned the most crucial part.

_‘..interview an ‘important’ figure, so I was thinking maybe you could help me get Tony Stark.’_

_‘Why would I be able to help you get Tony Stark?’_ Peter raised an eyebrow, trying to stay casual.

_‘Well since you’re oing to be doing an internship with him and you two seem..’_ MJ looked away for a moment, choosing her words more carefully. _‘friendly. Would it be a big thing to ask if I could interview him for an assignment? I wouldn’t ask_ **_too_ ** _many tough questions.’_

_‘I suppose I could ask, but I can’t promise anything.’_ Peter shrugged, guilt rising in his body. He’d do anything for MJ, but he didn’t want Tony to think he was just using him for his own benefit.

_‘That’s all I ask,’_ MJ smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. _‘come on, there’s a really great bookstore nearby.’_

An uneasiness lay in Peter’s stomach as he examined various novels, if MJ had asked him a week ago he’d be more than happy to help her. It was just awkward timing, and he tried to focus on the book in his hands, pushing down the uncomfortableness. Tony probably wouldn’t mind, but even so. 

He found MJ perusing the horror section, trawling the shelves. 

_‘Are you okay Peter? You seem a little..off.’_ The brunette frowned, her eyes searching Peter’s.

_‘I’m fine, just a little tired,’_ Peter smiled, knowing he couldn’t put off the truth forever but he could pause it for a while. _‘find anything good?’_

-

May was in the kitchen making dinner when Peter got home, giving him a warm hug and looking much better than she had in recent weeks. Having a day off was a rare blessing, and Peter had come home a little earlier to squeeze in some time with his aunt before she had to go back to the hospital, smiling as she told him about her day.

After they’d eaten, sitting on the couch watching a movie, Peter read over Tony’s latest message, smiling to himself as he typed back a quick reply.

**Could I ask you a favour?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know the last chapter ended on a cliffhanger, but hopefully this one makes up for it 🙌
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter please feel free to let me know, it's the best feeling to know that you're enjoying this story, it's a pleasure to write and I can only hope it's mirrored in the reading ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos/commented/bookmarked, it's so so appreciated and you're all absolute dolls 🥰


	9. N I N E

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Tony Stark.

“Boss, Michelle Jones is here.”

“Send her up.” 

Tony had done countless interviews, none of them having him so much as break a sweat. A college student interviewing him for an assignment would be a breeze. 

And it was, mostly. He’d only half read Peter’s text, once Peter had asked him for a favour he’d already decided to say yes.

Michelle Jones definitely had the makings of a journalist, Tony noticed. Smart, shrewdly observant and evidently not a huge fan of his. She’d told him before they started that the assignment required specific criteria so she wouldn’t ask him any personal questions, unless absolutely necessary.

He was impressed, most students (and some journalists, particularly since coming out as Iron Man) he met fawned all over him. Michelle Jones on the other hand, seemed actively disinterested in him. Once they’d covered what she needed, Tony’s curiosity was well and truly piqued.

“Sure you don’t want to know what my ideal breakfast is? Vogue were _very_ keen to know that one.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Stark,” The pretty brunette didn’t bat an eyelid, packing up her laptop and notebook. “but I intend for this article to have at least _some_ journalistic integrity.”

  
  


Tony couldn’t suppress his smile as he stood up, extending his hand. 

“Good to know. Well if that’s everything then I guess I’ll be seeing you at the expo next weekend.”

  
“I..” Michelle frowned, standing up and draping her bag over her body. “I didn’t say I was going to that.”

“I know,” Tony nodded, sliding his hands into his pocket. “I saw Peter’s video. You seemed pretty excited.”

Peter had sent him the video the previous night, Tony watching with great amusement as the brunette surprised his friends with the tickets.

“Well Peter’s always wanted to go, I’m excited for him.” Michelle shrugged, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“He’ll love it, I hope you do too.” Tony smiled, taking his hands from his pocket and folding his arms.

“Time will tell,” The brunette gave him a deadpan stare before glancing at the door. “I better be going. Thank you again for your time.”

“My pleasure, thank you for the opportunity.” Tony watched as the girl began to head away.

“Miss Jones?”

“Yeah?” She turned back, eyeing him suspiciously as he let his hands fall to his sides.

“You have my full permission to kill me if I ever do anything to hurt Peter. Just thought you should know.”

A hint of a smile tugged at her lips, folding her arms and arching a brow. “Good to know.”

Peter texted shortly after Michelle left, cautiously enquiring about the interview. 

Tony’s ‘Christiane Amanpour better watch her back’ reply went over very well. 

-

The rest of the day passed without too much incident, Pepper was taking care of the business side of the expo and most of the exhibits were ready, leaving Tony free to pursue other important ventures.

Texting Peter, for one.

At Tony’s insistence, they’d been taking things slowly, though between Peter’s college timetable and Tony’s hectic schedule they only managed to snatch pockets together. They always made the most of it, and Peter seemed determined to push as many of the older man’s buttons as possible, his adorable innocent melting under Tony’s touch.

Rhodey dropped by to take (force) him out for lunch, insisting he needed to get some human contact. Tony had to stop himself from telling his best friend that he _was_ getting human contact, very pleasant contact at that, memories of Peter sprawled out on a bench in the lab the other night. 

He spent the afternoon and evening tinkering in the lab, trying not to notice the long gaps between Peter’s replies. He knew the younger man was busy working on an assignment and trying to get a video finished, and appreciated that Peter was still taking the time to talk to him. Tony had insisted that it wasn’t necessary to text him if he was too busy, but Peter was adamant that he could handle everything.

Later that night, when Tony had obliged to F.R.I.D.A.Y’s fussing and gone up to the penthouse to try and relax, Peter stopped his efforts by announcing that he was laying in bed unable to sleep. 

What else was Tony supposed to do?

-

Taking his phone from his pocket, Tony sent Peter a quick text, leaning back in his seat and gently licking his bottom lip.

**Is May home?**

He frowned slightly when he read the reply, deciding to resort to Plan B.

**Yeah, she just got back from work, why?**

**Any chance you could sneak out?**

**I could try? 😯**

Smirking to himself, Tony sat up, his fingers flying over the keypad.

**I’m outside, if that’s any incentive..**

Less than ten minutes later, Peter was walking out of the front door, giving a quick wave over to the car, Tony leaving the window down, resting his elbow on the door. Slipping into the passenger seat, the brunette leaned over and gave Tony a quick kiss on the cheek, pulling back with a smile that threatened to shatter the older man’s heart.

_‘What are you doing here?’_

_“Well when you said you couldn’t sleep I thought I’d come see if I could help.”_ Tony grinned, enjoying the blush creeping across Peter’s cheeks.

_‘You didn’t have to, but I’m glad you’re here.’_

_“Since you’re up I had an idea, if you’re up for it?”_

Peter nodded, a curious smile on his face as Tony started up the car, heading down the dimly lit street.

They ended up at a small, quiet diner, the handful of patrons barely casting them a glance as they slid into a booth at the far side of the room. Peter insisted he didn’t want anything, but happily indulged in the herbal tea and red velvet cupcake Tony ordered for him when the brunette went to the bathroom.

_‘What?’_ Peter asked, smiling softly as he met Tony’s gaze. 

_‘Nothing, just admiring the view.’_

Tony was pretty confident that Peter laying beneath him, breathless and flushed was the most perfect thing he’d ever seen. But to see the brunette absent-mindedly scooping the delicate white frosting from the deep red cupcake and gently lick it off was a _very_ close second.

By the time Peter had finished (obliviously) slowly torturing Tony, the older man was quickly throwing down a handful of notes on the table and practically dragging the brunette back to the car.

When Tony dropped Peter back at his apartment, looking just a little more dishevelled than when he’d picked him up, he was reluctant to let the younger man go. Drawing him in for one more kiss, Tony couldn’t help but grin when Peter eagerly climbed back into his lap, nails gently scraping along his neck.

_“Go get some sleep.”_ Tony smiled softly when they moved apart, Peter remaining in his lap.

_‘I’ll try.’_ The younger man grinned, giving Tony one last kiss before heading out of the car, giving a wave back before disappearing inside.

As Tony was pulling up in the garage, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, finding a text from Peter, along with a selfie of the younger man laying in bed, the blanket draped over his exposed chest.

**Too buzzed to sleep, wish you could’ve stayed here to wear me out** 😘

Just about managing to stop himself driving straight back to Peter’s apartment, Tony slipped his phone into his pocket and headed upstairs. 

“FRI, be a doll and set up the bedroom camera for me.”

If Peter wanted to be worn out, so be it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter Parker is the ultimate mix of adorable and minxy and you can't tell me otherwise 🙌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to let me know, it's a huge boost 🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos/commented/bookmarked, you're all dolls ❤️


	10. T E N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the Stark Expo, but Peter has bigger things on his mind..

"You know what MJ? Green really doesn't suit you." Ned grinned as the brunette rolled her eyes.

"It's just not fair," MJ sighed, resting her chin in her hand. "I can only dream that someone will look at me like that someday."

Across from them, Peter was gently stroking Chewie, the cat looking up at with contented eyes.

Taking a sip of coffee, Peter looked at his friends in confusion, Chewie pawing at the cookie on his plate.

_'What's up?'_

_'MJ's jealous of your relationship with Chewie.'_ Ned smiled, gently nudging the girl beside him.

_'I'm like a magnet for cats,'_ MJ smiled softly at the feline in front of her. _'except this one.'_

_'I don't know what to tell you,'_ Peter shrugged, gently moving his plate away from reach. _'we have a bond.'_

_'Too bad we can't take him to the expo tonight, I heard he's a huge Iron Man fan.'_ Ned grinned, and Peter smiled softly to himself, breaking off a piece of his cookie and slowly chewing it.

He'd been looking forward to the expo for so long that he didn't think anything could overshadow it, but somehow something did, a plan he'd formulated a couple of days before. There was no guarantee what he had in mind would happen, but he was determined to try.

After making plans to meet up with Ned and MJ later that night before heading to the event, Peter made his way back home, excitement building in his stomach.

May wouldn't be home until the evening, giving him plenty of time to prepare everything.

Tony had asked if Peter wanted to come by the tower after the expo, and after giving the quickest yes of his life, Peter had set his plan in motion.

While he'd been (relatively) happy to keep things at a slower pace, he was beginning to lose patience. The last couple of times he'd managed to sneak over to Tony's or snuck out to meet him he'd wanted the older man to just lose control and take what Peter _knew_ he wanted.

Well, he _assumed_ he did, letting Peter push a little further each time. But never far enough, and Peter was beginning to grow frustrated, convinced the older man was purposely torturing him (the video he'd sent Peter was enough to make the brunette want to run all the way over to the tower and just pounce).

So, making sure May definitely wasn't home, Peter headed into his bedroom and grabbed his spare backpack, throwing it onto the bed and fetching what he needed from his wardrobe. He'd told his aunt that he was staying with Ned after the expo, a shred of guilt eating at him for the lie. He knew May loved him and only wanted the best for him, but that didn't mean she wouldn't hesitate to murder Tony Stark if she thought for a second anything was going on.

Once he’d packed his pyjamas and some clean clothes, Peter knelt down beside his bed, reaching his arm under the frame and rooting around until his hand felt what he wanted, gently easing out the worn shoebox. Opening it and choosing what he wanted, he finished packing his bag and grabbed his phone, letting out a sigh as he realised it was only midday. 

He did have a text from Tony, including a selfie of the older man laying in bed that made Peter even more antsy for time to pass, trying to distract himself with an assignment, ignoring the dull ache that persisted.

After the longest afternoon of his life, Peter jumped into the shower, immensely grateful he remembered to pick up a more fragrant shower gel, taking his time and getting himself ready. He decided on simple black jeans, a white t-shirt and his light blue denim jacket, quickly fluffing his hair in the mirror before grabbing his backpack and heading into the living room. 

_‘Wow, you look nice. Excited?’_ May smiled, looking over at him from the couch.

_‘Yeah, it should be fun.’_ Peter nodded, ignoring the fluttering in his stomach. He was supposed to be meeting his friends for dinner before they went to the expo, though he wasn’t sure he had an appetite for anything other than-

_‘Well enjoy yourself, and stick with Ned and MJ. I’ll see you tomorrow.’_ May stood up setting her book down on the coffee table and holding out her arms.

_‘I will, love you.’_ Peter grinned, embracing her in a hug before heading out of the apartment, a spring in his step.

Picking at the remaining fries on his plate, Peter felt like he could burst at any minute, his body flooded with excitement, nerves and adrenaline. He’d forced himself to eat something, the last thing he wanted was to interrupt his own plans because he wanted a sandwich.

_‘Ready?’_ MJ asked, grabbing her bag and sliding out of the booth.

Peter nodded, he’d never been so ready for anything in his life.

-

Handing over his ticket, Peter couldn’t suppress the smile on his face, joining Ned and MJ as they made their way to the huge stage in the centre of the room. The crowd was immense, the lights and atmosphere electric as they found a place to stand. The stage remained empty, but the two large screens set up ajar to it played various clips from older expo’s, drawing in the crowd's attention. 

Peter’s phone buzzed in his pocket, drawing his attention. When he saw Tony’s name flash on the screen he raised an eyebrow, giving a quick glance to the empty stage before reading the text.

**Looking good sweetheart. Enjoy the show.**

Flushing slightly, Peter gave a surreptitious glance around, a sea of anonymous faces surrounding him. Bright lights flashed on the stage, the ground beneath him beginning to vibrate as the crowd’s excitement grew. A chorus line of very.. _scantily clad_ dancers appeared on the stage, performing a simple routine before _Iron Man_ shot through the ceiling, smoothly landing on the front of the stage. 

Peter couldn’t help the tingle that shot down his spine, enjoying the flashiness of the spectacle as the Iron Man suit was removed to reveal Tony, looking as effortlessly handsome as he always did. A couple of the dancers were touching the older man, surrounding him as they finished their performance. The brunette’s jaw clenched slightly, but the knowledge that _he_ was the one Tony wanted, the one who’d be in the man’s bed tonight stopped Peter from being _too_ jealous, linking his arm with MJ and beaming up at the stage.

The screens beside the stage changed, the one on the right showing Tony, while the one on the left faded to black, words flowing onto it as Tony addressed the crowd.

Peter just about managed to keep his attention on the screen, occasionally glancing at Tony, unable to resist. The older man brought Dr. Banner out onto the stage to thank him for his participation in creating the event, and as Peter’s gaze fell to Tony once more, he found deep brown eyes focused on him, a heat surging through his body.

-

When Tony had finished his speech, the walls around the crowd disappeared, revealing a vast array of exhibits, the crowd dispersing and flooding the arena. 

As Peter, Ned and MJ were snapping a quick photo, two girls around their age approached them, and to Peter’s immense surprise asked if they could get a photo with _them_ , as the girls were huge fans of Peter’s YouTube channel. It was a surreal experience, but thrilling at the same time. As the girls waved goodbye, Peter felt his phone buzz.

**I better watch out, next year it might be the Parker Expo 😉**

Grinning to himself, Peter sent a quick reply before slipping his phone back in his pocket.

**Don’t give me any ideas, I already have plans tonight 💋**

-

Once the crowd had begun to thin and the evening came to a close, Peter said goodbye to his friends outside before heading around the corner, making his way to where Tony had told him to go. He found the older man leaning against the limo (which was a thrill in itself), parked up in a discreet side street. 

_‘What do you think, should we do it again next year?’_ Tony smirked, raising an eyebrow.

Peter gave a noncommittal shrug, a smile on his face as Tony lightly spanked him, opening the limo door and ushering the younger man inside.

The journey to the tower was incredibly smooth, the brunette deciding he could get used to being ferried around in such comfortable surroundings (though technically he’d spent the majority of the journey in Tony’s lap, the older man’s hands roaming his eager body).

They barely parted as the limo pulled up the garage under the tower, Tony picking Peter up and carrying him to the elevator, pinning the younger man up against the wall and attacking his neck.

When the elevator stopped Tony hoisted Peter up again, carrying him into the luxurious penthouse and gently letting him down on the soft carpet, pulling away.

_‘I was thinking, maybe we could..’_ Tony smirked, running a hand through his hair. Peter was beginning to think he wouldn’t even _need_ his plan, his heart jumping into his throat.

_‘Get something to eat?’_ The older man smiled, Peter’s heart rapidly resuming its normal position.

_‘I’m not hungry.’_ Peter was completely wound up, the last thing he needed was more delays.

_‘Sure? I’m starving, I think I’ll order something.’_ Tony smirked, taking his phone from his pocket as Peter fought not to roll his eyes. 

Two could play at that game.

_‘I’m gonna go freshen up, I’ll be back in a minute.’_ Peter smiled sweetly, giving Tony a quick kiss on the cheek before taking his bag down the hall.

Slowly peeling off his clothes, Peter folded them and left them in his bag before finding what he was looking for, slipping it on and examining himself in the mirror.

If Tony was hungry he’d give him a _feast_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you get too annoyed with me, the next chapter is going to be like 99% smut so hopefully that makes up for thaat tease of an ending 🤦
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, this story continues to be a joy to write so please feel free to let me know what you thought 🥰
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who left feedback on the last chapter, you're all wonderful and I adore you endlessly ❤️


	11. E L E V E N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter sets his plan in motion..

Pouring himself a drink, Tony glanced over to the hall. Peter had been gone for a good fifteen minutes, making the older man curious. He’d ordered a pizza, hunger outweighing his other desires only slightly, having barely had time to eat anything all day.

When Peter emerged from the hall, any trace of hunger Tony had dissipated instantly at the sight of the brunette. He’d seen Peter dressed up, he’d seen him dressed down. He’d seen him in nothing at all, perfect body on display. 

He’d never seen Peter looking the way he did standing before him.

His curls were neater than usual, and he was wearing cute glasses that made his honey eyes look even wider. An oversized black t-shirt hung loose on the brunette’s body, the collar threatening to slip down his shoulder at any moment. His long, smooth legs were covered in black stockings that contrasted beautifully with his creamy skin, held up by silky black garters. When Peter stretched slightly, lifting his arms above his head, a slip of black lace panties were revealed, before becoming concealed once more.

The younger man made his way over to the bar, Tony’s brain short-circuiting with every step. 

_‘What do you think?’_ Peter smiled softly, his face the picture of innocence, making the older man question whether the apparel was purposeful. 

_‘You look great.’_ Tony nodded, picking up his glass and taking a long drink. He could eat later, there was something far more tempting on offer.

Peter’s smile was radiant as he moved closer to the older man, gently trailing his hands along Tony’s arms and up to his neck. The usual desire to take control evaporated from Tony, powerless under the touch of the celestial being before him.

The brunette didn’t seem to mind, smiling to himself as he wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck, drawing the man in for a soft, lingering kiss. 

“Boss.”

Tony groaned internally at the interruption. Unless it was a literal world-ending disaster he really didn’t care, pulling away from Peter very reluctantly.

“Hit me, FRI.”

“Your pizza has arrived.”

Before he could dive back into the heavenly pool of Peter’s lips, the brunette held a hand up to his chest, looking at him curiously.

_‘What’s going on?’_

_‘Nothing,’_ Tony smiled softly. _‘just a pizza delivery. Where were we?’_

As he went to reclaim the younger man’s kiss, he was once again thwarted in his efforts, Peter looking at him with a devilish grin.

_‘Great, I’m starving._

Tony frowned, examining the brunette. 

_‘I thought you weren’t hungry?’_

_‘I changed my mind.’_ Peter smirked, gently kissing Tony’s cheek before bounding over to the couch, sitting down and switching on the TV.

-

To add to his already impressive list of talents, Peter also had the incredible ability to make eating pizza sexy. Then again, it could’ve been that Tony was so riled up he’d find anything Peter did sexy. The brunette had chosen a film, settled his legs across Tony’s lap and happily devoured a couple of slices of the pizza Tony regretted ever ordering.

And yet, while Tony would probably have snapped if it were anyone else doing it, dragging them to his bed and keeping them there, he was completely bound to the whims of the younger man. 

He gently traced languid patterns over the stockings adorning Peter’s legs, picking at the slice of pizza sitting on a plate beside him. For all he knew the movie playing was one his own..personal outings, so little was the attention he was paying to it. Peter seemed to be enjoying it, and that was enough for Tony.

Eventually, Peter deemed it fit to move into Tony’s lap, taking his sweet time getting comfortable and driving the older man to the brink in the process. Tony draped a hand across the brunette’s waist in an effort to keep him still, his other hand gently roaming Peter’s thigh.

Tony decided that Peter had had his fun, and it was time to indulge in his own.

So, while Peter kept his eyes on the film, Tony focused his attention on the younger man’s neck, trailing gentle kisses along the soft skin, hands holding the younger man still as he began to squirm slightly. Once Tony began to nip at the smooth flesh and let his hands wander closer to the hem of Peter’s t-shirt, the younger man proved himself less patient than Tony had been, letting out a huff as he twisted in the older man’s lap.

_“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”_ Tony raised an eyebrow, gently stroking Peter’s hips, his hands roaming beneath the t-shirt.

_'You're distracting me.'_

_"Sorry, baby."_

Peter turned back towards the TV, shuffling in the older man's lap as he did.

Keeping his hands around the brunette's waist for a cursory moment, Tony smirked to himself as he gently began to let his hands wander further, nipping a little harder at Peter's neck as he did. When he felt the younger man begin to shift he gripped the creamy thighs in his hands and gently sucked the bite he'd left on Peter's neck.

Tony knew he'd succeeded when the younger man turned around once more, diving in for a passionate kiss, his hands cupping Tony’s face.

After indulging for a moment, gently squeezing Peter’s ass and enjoying the gasp elicited from the younger man, Tony pulled back.

_“What about the movie?”_

Peter frowned adorably, wriggling slightly in the older man’s lap.

_‘I don’t care, I want you.’_

Tempted as he was to draw out the proceedings, Tony decided they’d both suffered enough, nodding gently and moving to stand up, gripping Peter’s thighs as he stood, carrying the brunette down the hall.

By the time they reached the bedroom Peter’s neck was already beginning to bloom, Tony’s marks flush against the pale skin. When Tony set the younger man down, he gently traced his finger along the bites, smiling to himself as Peter tugged at his belt.

_‘Get undressed and go lie down, I want to show you something.’_

Tony couldn’t remember the last time he’d let himself be led, and never would’ve imagined that someone like Peter would be the one to do it, but one look in those bewitching eyes and he was completely pliant, prepared to do anything to please the brunette.

With a nod, Tony undressed himself slowly before positioning himself on the bed, his back resting against the headboard as he watched Peter approach him, a sweet smile on the younger man’s face as he crawled onto the large bed, straddling him as he slowly peeled off his t-shirt, every inch exposing his perfect, lithe figure.

_‘What’s this surprise then?’_ Tony smiled as Peter shifted slightly, his tight panties on full display. 

_‘Patience.’_ Peter grinned, lightly swatting Tony’s hand as the older man went to touch him.

Almost in slow motion, Peter turned around, nestling himself on Tony’s thighs and gently gripped the waistband of the panties, slowly easing them down.

Tony could only watch intently as Peter softly ran his hand along the back of his thigh, nails lightly tracing along the skin and leaving a faint mark as he slowly removed the black plug, setting it down on the sheets before tugging his panties back up and turning back to face the older man.

_‘I wanted to be ready for you,’_ Peter smirked. _‘if you’ll have me.’_

Tony was _very_ rarely lost for words, but Peter was an expert in revealing things Tony didn’t know he was capable of.

So, speechless for the first time in a very long time, Tony simply nodded, pulling the younger man closer and drawing him in for a slow kiss, his hands wrapping around Peter’s waist as the brunette licked into his mouth.

Every other time they’d been intimate with each other, Tony had been more than happy to take control, having Peter writhing in ecstasy beneath him one of his greatest pleasures in life. Yet seeing the brunette be so..confident in his movements was proving to be a delight, and he was more than willing to lay back and enjoy the attention Peter was lavishing on him. 

The only slight hesitation in the younger man’s actions was when he’d rid himself of the panties (keeping, at Tony’s insistence, the stockings firmly on) and was nestled in the older man’s lap, position himself. 

“Hey,” Tony gently cupped Peter’s cheek, stroking it gently. “it’s okay, we’ll take it slow.”

The reassurement was all the younger man needed, gently easing himself down on Tony’s throbbing hardness, tilting his head back and letting out soft breaths as he adjusted to the feeling. Tony kept his hands on Peter’s thighs, gently stroking the smooth skin as he watched the brunette slowly sink, every fibre of his being set alight.

Once Peter had gotten used to the feeling, he gently cupped Tony’s face, looking at the older man in a way that melted his heart. They stayed like that, moving slowly, drawing each other in for slow kisses between soft moans. Tony continued his ministrations on Peter’s neck, trailing down to his collarbone.

It wasn’t exactly how Tony had imagined it would be. It wasn’t a hurried embrace in the car, or in the lab or even the elevator, all ripping off clothing and desperation. It was slow and intense and having Peter be the one to take charge of what he wanted was so..intoxicating to Tony. 

But for all the assertiveness Peter had shown, Tony couldn’t help but adore it when the brunette buried his face in Tony’s neck as he came, wrapping his arms around the older man’s neck and letting out a strangled moan, his body falling into Tony’s willing hands.

Afterwards they lay side by side for a long while, eyes focused on each other, soft smiles and lingering touches. 

Peter fell asleep first, and Tony couldn’t bring himself to look away from the angelic form, wrapping his arms around the younger man and gently humming under his breath. He didn’t need to sleep, he was already living in the greatest dream he could hope to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the first time I've been nervous posting a chapter! 🤦 As it's the first time that they're togther I wanted it to be smutty but not like..too smutty. But now that they've broken the seal (so to speak), there's only more ahead 👌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, it was an absolute struggle to write as you can probably imagine..*sigh*
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments and all that good stuff, you are all absolute ICONS (I said it) and I adore you so much ❤️❤️


	12. T W E L V E

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being apart won’t stop Peter and Tony moving forward

_‘Cold, Pete?’_ May raised an eyebrow at the sight of Peter entering the living room with his black hoodie zipped all the way up and a thick grey scarf around his neck.

_‘Yeah, a little.’_ Peter nodded, going into the kitchen to grab his jacket before his aunt could question him further. It had become a.. _habit_ of Tony’s to keep Peter’s neck as marked as possible, and while the administration was very pleasurable, trying to keep it covered up was proving difficult. Only that it was December and he could wear layers and keep a scarf on Peter would never be able to get away with it.

He threw his trusted green jacket on over his hoodie and adjusted the scarf, smiling to himself as his fingers traced over one of the bites. May followed him, leaning against the counter and examining her nephew.

_‘Going anywhere nice?’_

_‘Just the usual,’_ Peter smiled, trying to keep a casual face even though he didn’t have anything to hide. Despite the fact that Peter hadn’t had as much time to see Tony as he’d like lately between Tony’s work and exam season, and he’d almost been caught sneaking out a couple of nights and May was getting suspicious. _‘meeting Ned and MJ. What are you up to today?’_

_‘I have some errands to run before work, so I’ll see you tonight. Unless you have other plans?’_ May smiled, folding her arms.

He _did_ have other plans, mainly revolving around Tony’s bedroom (Or shower, car or..well, _anywhere_ ), but then the older man had been informed that he was due to appear on The Tonight Show before attending a charity event and those plans had been reluctantly put on hold.

_‘No, I’ll be here,’_ Peter smiled, giving his aunt a quick kiss on the cheek. _‘see you tonight.’_

-

_‘So,’_ Peter raised an eyebrow at Ned. _‘looks like a Christmas miracle.’_

_‘Looks like it.’_ Ned smiled.

Across from them, MJ had Chewie in her lap, gently stroking the content feline as she scrolled through her phone.

_‘I think she bribed him.’_ Peter grinned, taking his phone and snapping a photo. 

_‘Possibly,’_ Ned nodded, sitting back in his chair. _‘maybe she has catnip up her sleeve.’_

_‘Maybe.’_ Peter smiled, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. 

_‘Oh, the expo video is doing really well, have you looked at it lately?’_ Ned asked, taking out his phone.

_‘No, not since I posted it.’_ Peter shook his head, leaning forward as Ned brought up the video on his phone. Being so busy with college and Tony, Peter hadn’t had as much time to create new videos, but he’d wanted to make one on the expo, enthusiastically sharing his thoughts on it with his followers.

_‘Check it out.’_ Ned grinned, handing over his phone.

Peter beamed as he scrolled through the comments, the response overwhelmingly positive, including a comment from the two girls they’d met, who he mentioned in the video. He made a mental note to respond to them when he got home, handing the phone back to Ned.

MJ tucked her phone into her pocket, smiling at the cat in her arms before looking over at her friends.

_‘Jealous yet, Pete?’_

_‘Of course not,’_ Peter grinned, breaking off a piece of his gingerbread man and taking a bite. _‘we still have a bond, right Chewie?’_

Sitting up in MJ’s lap, the cat stretched a paw across the table, his eyes wide as Peter smirked. 

_‘See?’_

-

After a quick stop at the bookstore, Peter returned home to squeeze in some study time, a week of exams looming over his head. Despite having the apartment to himself, Peter decided to stay in his room, spreading his various notes around the floor and leaning against his bed, determined not to get sidetracked. Well, not _too_ much at least, it would’ve been rude to ignore Tony’s texts.

When he felt like he’d done enough, his eyes starting to feel the strain, he tidied up and decided to plan a couple of videos, texting Ned and swapping ideas. By the time May came home Peter felt like he’d been productive enough to cover a couple of weeks, never mind an afternoon. He was still disappointed that he couldn’t spend the night with Tony, but the older man had promised that once Peter’s exams were over he’d clear his schedule, make the younger man his main priority.

May arrived home a little before seven, cheerfully upbeat despite her long shift, insisting on cooking despite Peter’s offer to make something (Admittedly, it wouldn’t have been anything more exciting than mac and cheese but it was the thought that counted). 

Before dinner, Peter went for a shower, taking his time and lamenting the fact that he wouldn’t be with Tony for the night. But still, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t be in touch with the older man. With that in mind, Peter locked his bedroom door and dried off, slipping on a cosy knitted sweater and a pair of silky pink panties before sliding the soft white stockings, laying down on his bed and snapping a quick picture to send to Tony later. Once he was happy with the result he undressed, opting for his much more casual pyjama pants and a baggy grey hoodie, rubbing his towel over his hair.

May had spaghetti prepared when he joined her in the kitchen, the two of them taking their plates into the living room and settling in. Peter could feel his phone buzzing against his hip, tucked into his pyjamas, smiling to himself as he kept his attention on the TV.

When he took the empty plates into the kitchen, he took his phone out, finding a selfie from Tony in what looked like a dressing room, though Peter’s attention was solely focused on the fact that the man was half-naked and winking at the camera.

**I meant to send this to you earlier, they said I couldn’t do the interview like this but I thought I looked pretty great 😏**

Peter bit his lip softly as he typed out a reply, quickly glancing over his shoulder in case May came into the kitchen.

**Good, that’s a sight for my eyes only 😘**

Slipping his phone back under the waistband of his pyjamas, Peter rinsed off the dishes before getting himself a can of soda and heading back to the couch.

_‘Feel like watching a movie?’_ May smiled as he sat down, cracking open the can.

_‘Sure, you choose.’_ Peter nodded, taking a sip and curling his legs up under himself. 

About halfway through the film, May got a phone call, excusing herself and heading into her bedroom. Checking the time, Peter realised Tony would be at the charity event, smiling to himself as he took out his phone. There was already a text from the older man, lamenting the occasion, and Peter knew exactly how to cheer him up, sending on the picture he’d taken earlier. May came back into the living room, sitting down on the couch and resuming the movie, Peter smiling to himself as he felt his phone buzz.

By the time the movie ended, Peter was exhausted, giving his aunt a quick hug before heading into his bedroom. He’d meant to watch Tony’s interview, but May was engrossed in the film and he decided to catch it on YouTube, an excitement building in his stomach as he crawled into bed.

Before he could, however, he saw a message from MJ, drawing his attention. It was a link to an article, with a smirking emoji attached. Opening it, Peter bit his lip as he saw the _‘Tony Stark reveals relationship?’_ headline, deciding not to read it and watch the interview first instead, his stomach fluttering.

Despite being fully dressed, Tony still looks great, Peter’s heart swelling as he watched. It was a standard interview for the most part, talking about Stark Industries and the Avengers, Tony being his usual charming self. 

Then, the question of relationships was brought up and Peter’s heart flew into his mouth. Tony once again dismissed the rumours that continued to swirl about him and Pepper getting back together with ease. 

“So,” Jimmy smiled, leaning forward on the desk. “if Pepper is just a friend is there anyone that’s become more than that? Personally, I always thought you and Steve Rogers would be a real power couple.”

Tony laughed, glancing out to the audience before looking back at Jimmy. 

“Well Steve is a great guy, and he wears a suit like _nobody_ else but uh..I don’t think Bucky would be too pleased about it.”

“That’s fair,” Jimmy grins. “ so there’s no great love affair being conducted up in the tower?”

“Not exactly,” Tony smirked, lightly rubbing his chin. “let’s just say I’m very happy. Things are good in that department.’

The interview came to an end and Peter kept his eyes on the screen for a moment, the smile stuck on his face as he reopened the article MJ sent him. It was basically a rehash of the interview, but it still made Peter’s whole body tingle.

After sending a noncommittal reply to MJ, he opened up his messages to Tony, his fingers sweeping over the keyboard.

**I watched the interview, happy to see you fully clothed 😋**

Less than a moment later, his phone buzzed with a reply.

**As you said, the other way is just for you baby 😉 What did you think?**

Curling up and tucking the blanket under his chin, Peter smiled to himself as he sent his reply, holding his phone close to his chest.

**I think I’m very happy too.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually can't stop myself making these two idiots be adorable, it's impossible 🤦
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, as always feel free to let me know as I adore hearing from you 🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left feedback on the last chapter, you're all darlings and I adore you ❤️


	13. T H I R T E E N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Christmas Eve (Eve), and there’s only one way to celebrate

“Christmas Eve.. _ Eve _ ?” 

_ ‘Yes.’  _

Tony raised an eyebrow, smiling as Peter huffed, rolling his eyes.

_ ‘It’s a thing.’ _

“If you insist, sweetheart.” 

_ ‘I do, actually.’ _ Peter grinned, settling back in his seat and clicking in his seatbelt.

Peter had finally finished his exams a couple of days previously, the two using every opportunity to be together. They both had prior made plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but Tony had made a plan to ensure they could have pure, uninterrupted time together before long.

So, on a snowy Christmas Eve Eve, they drove through the city, hands intertwined. Occasionally Tony glanced over to the younger man, smiling as Peter gently trailed his fingers along the window, a dreamy smile on his face.

The usual group of reporters were standing around in front of the tower as Tony drove past, now imbued with the added purpose of finding out Tony Stark’s mystery lover. Peter had insisted he was happy that Tony announced he was seeing someone, if only so that everyone would know he was off the market. After pulling into the underground garage and laughing as Peter launched himself into Tony’s arms, the older man carried him over to the elevator, pressing him up against the wall and gently attacking his neck as the younger man squirmed deliciously.

They managed to separate long enough to head into the penthouse, Tony heading for the kitchen and frowning as he realised Peter wasn’t with him. Turning around, he found the younger man smiling at him, gesturing up to the ceiling before beckoning Tony forward. 

Tony couldn’t help but feel smug as he walked over, sweeping the younger man up in his arms once more. He knew he didn’t  _ need _ mistletoe, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the perks of it.

-

Settling on Thai for dinner, Tony got F.R.I.D.A.Y to order as he rested his feet on the coffee table, Peter nestled into his side. He’d been more than a little surprised when the brunette had declined the offer to watch a movie, insisting he was happy to just watch TV. Then again, Tony never really paid attention to the screen anyway, preferring to watch Peter, the brunette scrolling through his phone, resting his head on Tony’s chest. 

While they waited for the food to arrive, Tony found his mind beginning to wander, gently sweeping his fingers along Peter’s arm. He glanced over to the large tree, housing an ostentatious amount of presents, the only one meaning anything to him being the one Peter had left when he thought Tony wasn’t looking. It’s simple red wrapping paper and gold ribbon stood out amongst the sea of more fancily decorated gifts, Tony itching to know what Peter had deemed him worthy of. 

For Peter’s present, Tony had struggled initially. He’d immediately jumped to a car, then a Rolex, then a villa in the south of France, but nine of those were good enough. Then, on one of those glorious nights when Peter was laying in his arms utterly wrecked and gorgeous, it had struck him.

He lamented the fact that he wouldn’t be there when Peter opened it, but he was confident that Peter would love it, smiling to himself as he gently placed a kiss on the brunette’s soft curls.

-

Once they’d eaten, Peter excused himself, heading down the hall and leaving Tony in slight confusion. The brunette hadn’t been his usual self, and Tony hoped it wasn’t caused by disappointment at not being able to spend Christmas together. Peter had mentioned it a couple of times, and the older man was quick to reassure him that they’d have plenty of time together before long.

As Tony tried to dispel his worry, Peter reemerged and did it for him.

Dressed in red fishnet stockings and Tony’s worn AC/DC t-shirt, swinging just low enough to be teasing, Peter’s face was the personification of sweetness as he smiled over at the older man.

_ ‘Can we go watch a movie in bed?’ _

With a nod, Tony stood. Looking the way he did, Peter could’ve asked Tony to capture the stars and bring them before him and he’d be bound to comply, taking the younger man’s hand and leading him down the hall.

A small part of Tony couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when Peter  _ actually _ wanted to watch a movie, though laying in bed with the brunette draped across him and Die Hard playing wasn’t the worst position he’d ever been in. 

About an hour into the film, however, Tony was getting slightly restless. Usually by this time in the evening when Peter was staying over there’d be much less clothing and much more stimulating images than Bruce Willis crawling through vents. 

Peter wasn’t helping matters, his leg draped across Tony’s, gently rubbing it as his fingers played with the hem of the older man’s shirt. Almost subconsciously, Tony gently palmed himself through his pants, shifting slightly on the bed. Peter continued to softly rub his leg along Tony’s as the older man continued to try and ease himself somewhat of his discomfort, his frustration growing.

When a delicate wrist grabbed his, Tony forced himself not to get annoyed (Though he really didn’t need Peter chastising him for failing to pay attention to yet another film). Much to his relief however, Peter sat up, straddling Tony’s waist and gently running his hands along the older man’s thighs.

_ ‘I want to see something.’  _ The brunette smiled, slightly grinding down his hips as Tony tried not to arch up into the touch.

“What do you want to see, baby?” 

_ ‘I want to see you touch yourself. Please?’ _ Peter gently moved his hands to the waistband of Tony’s pants, deft fingers unbuttoning them before sitting back, a sweet, pleading look on his face.

“Alright,” Tony smirked, gently gliding his hands along Peter’s soft thighs, his grip tightened slightly. “but I need you to be a good boy and help me out.”

Peter grinned triumphantly, nodding as Tony slowly reached inside his pants and drew out his aching member, gently rubbing it as Peter gently rocked his hips against the older man’s thighs, leaning back slightly and drawing up his t-shirt, delicate fingers sweeping across his tight stomach.

“Perfect,” Tony gently licked his bottom lip, moving his other hand to gently roam Peter’s thigh. “such a good boy for me.”

With a delicate grace, the brunette continued to slowly move his hips, his own erection straining in his black lace panties, letting out soft sighs as he moved his hand along Tony’s thigh.

“Turn around for me, sweetheart.” Tony murmured, continuing to gently stroke himself as Peter moved, settling back down on Tony’s thighs and rocking slowly as Tony ran a hand down the younger man’s back, lightly gripping the hem of the t-shirt and bunching it up.

When he heard the brunette begin to touch himself, Tony gently slapped his leg, drawing Peter’s attention and getting him to turn back around, the younger man straddling Tony’s thigh.

“Behave, sweetheart.” Tony raised an eyebrow, gently squeezing Peter’s thigh as the younger man huffed, desperately rubbing himself on Tony’s leg as the older man stroked himself, his thumb sweeping over the tip and lightly spreading the precum forming.

_ ‘Please..I want to.’ _ Peter pouted, hand moving to touch himself before Tony stopped him.

_ ‘Lay down beside me, I want you to finish me off.’ _ Tony smirked, patting the spot beside him on the bed as Peter huffed, slowly climbing off the older man and laying beside him, draping his leg over Tony’s and taking the man’s cock in his hand, pumping it slowly.

Once Tony had come down from his high he turned to Peter, gently cupping the younger man’s chin in his hand.

_ “Let’s take care of you now, baby.” _

-

Waking up to faint sunlight streaming into the room, Tony smiled at the sight of Peter laying content beside him, his soft lips parted, his curls a mess. With a quick kiss to the younger man’s forehead, Tony slipped out of the bed and threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt before heading to the kitchen. He knew Peter would have to leave before long, trying not to think about the two days he’d have to spend without the younger man.

It wasn’t as if he’d be spending the time alone, Steve and Bucky were hosting their usual casual Christmas Eve party, and Clint and Laura were hosting everyone for dinner on Christmas Day, but Tony was already thinking past that, excitement bubbing as he thought of Peter opening his gift.

But for the time being, carrying the tray back to his bedroom, there was already the greatest gift in the world waiting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an unhealthy obession with Peter Parker in stockings, I can't help it 🤦 Also, I wasn't actually planning to include any smut in this chapter but then I was, shall we say..inspired by something I watched and the rest is history 😉😂
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, it is the penultimate one, so only one more to go! Please feel free to let me know what you thought, it's a pleasure to hear from you 🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left feedback, you never fail to bring a smile to my face and are all just the most lovely bunch of muffins (the most supreme of all the baked goods) ❤️


	14. F O U R T E E N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Christmas, and Peter’s gift might be more than he bargained for..

__

_‘Who wants to go first?’_

_‘I will,’_ Peter grinned, picking up one of the presents in front of him, covered in plain black (reusable) wrapping paper, a simple black bow perched on it, before handing it over to MJ. _‘hope you like it.’_

It was their usual Christmas Eve tradition, going for a coffee and exchanging presents. They had a budget of ten dollars, and a challenge to be as creative as possible, leading to some.. _interesting_ gifts over the years (Peter knows for a fact MJ still has the questionable looking cat teddy he attempted to knit for her a couple of years ago). 

Chewie wandered over to their corner table as they exchanged presents, hopping up on the table and looking on with curiosity, occasionally pawing at the presents as they were handed over.

“Don’t worry, we didn’t forget you.” MJ smiled, reaching underneath the table and producing a small brown bag, taking a small, deep red collar from it and presenting it to the feline.

_‘What do you think?’_ Peter grinned, raising an eyebrow as the cat gently pawed at the collar.

_‘Who’s gonna do the honours?’_ Ned asked, gently stroking the feline’s back.

_‘Go for it.’_ Peter smiled at MJ, the brunette nodding and picking up the collar, gently attaching it around Chewie’s neck, the cat preening proudly.

_‘I think that might be the best present this year.’_ Ned laughed, the three of them watching as Chewie hopped down from the table, strutting around the cafe and showing off his new accessory.

_‘Any big plans for tonight?’_ Ned asked, breaking off a piece of gingerbread cookie and taking a bite.

_‘Yeah Pete, Stark whisking you away somewhere?’_ MJ smirked as Peter flushed slightly.

While he’d never actually announced it to them that he was seeing Tony, they’d just put two and two together, teasing him about it a little but ultimately admitting they were happy for him (With MJ ready to go full OITNB if Tony ever crossed Peter.)

_‘No, we’re spending today and tomorrow apart, actually.’_ Peter had accepted that fact, but couldn’t wait until he was finally free to spend some time with Tony. And he still had a gift waiting for him, a delivery being made to the apartment that morning with a gift for May alongside Peter’s.

_‘I always knew you had iron will power.’_ Ned teased, Peter rolling his eyes playfully as he stuck his tongue out at his friend.

-

Closing the apartment door behind him, Peter shrugged off his jacket and scarf, hanging them up before heading to his bedroom. May was still at work, she always worked either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, sometimes both since Ben had passed away. 

Setting his presents from MJ (A collage of all his favourite movie characters in various Christmas attire, his favourite being Chewbacca covered in coloured lights with a star on his head) and Ned (A handmade game of Guess Who featuring various pop culture characters) down on his desk, Peter checked his phone, smiling as he saw a text from Tony, a selfie of him and Bucky Barnes, both of them in cheesy Christmas jumpers.

**Detective Barnes here is determined to find out who my mystery partner is, any ideas?** 👀

**Well it’s probably someone who’s smart, funny, devilishly beautiful, and incredible in bed, if I had to guess** 💋

Grinning as he left his phone down on his desk, Peter headed for the bathroom, taking a long shower and imagining Tony being questioned about _him_ by the _Avengers_. He went back to his room and quickly dried off, throwing on some pyjamas and heading to the kitchen to make himself a hot chocolate. 

Tony had sent a couple more pictures, and Peter found it incredible to be able to see things like Vision in a Christmas jumper, Thor with felt antlers on his head and Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers knocking back alcoholic eggnog shots (a video that amused Peter greatly, the two men’s confidence immediately turning to regret as they tried not to heave). Peter’s own Christmas Eve was much more casual, curling up in bed and watching Home Alone on his laptop, though he couldn’t help but feel a tingle when Tony told him he’d much rather be with Peter, before proceeding to thoroughly draw the brunette’s attention away from the film. 

-

 _‘Merry Christmas!’_ May beamed, wrapping her arms around Peter in a warm hug. It had been late when she’d gotten home, and she’d be going back to work later that night, Peter giving her a gentle squeeze back, lightly rubbing her back.

_‘Merry Christmas, let’s see what we got.’_ Peter smiled, itching to open Tony’s present but deciding to wait a while, there had been a note attached to his present informing him that one of them was to be opened in front of his aunt, and the other was to be opened alone. He gave May his gift to her instead, sitting down on the couch beside her as she gently peeled back the wrapping paper and smiled as her hands fell on the gift. Peter had been slightly worried about it, but hoped she’d like it. He’d been cleaning his room several months back when he’d found a photo in a drawer, one he hadn’t seen for years. It was of him, May and Ben, the three of them at a carnival, Peter sitting on Ben’s shoulders and clutching a brown teddy that his uncle had won for him while May smiled up at him. 

_‘Oh Pete,’_ May looked over at him, a sheen forming in her eyes. _‘I love it, I haven’t seen this photo for so long.’_

Relief flooded Peter as he smiled, gently reaching out and squeezing his aunt’s arm. 

_‘Remember that day? You wouldn’t let that bear out of your sight, you even took it on the bumper cars.’_ May laughed, looking back down at the photo in her hands, gently stroking her thumb over it.

_‘He was good luck, we did great.’_ Peter grinned, the memory fond in his mind.

_‘You did,’_ May nodded, smiling as she wiped her eyes. _‘I remember it like it was yesterday.’_

Peter felt a lump form in his throat, quickly looking over to the window as he took a breath, running a hand through his hair. May stood, gently placing the photo down on the couch beside her before moving over to the tree and picking up a large present, handing it over to Peter, who accepted it with a smile.

Peeling away the wrapping paper, Peter let out a gasp as he saw what was concealed beneath it. It was a lego set, the Apollo Saturn V kit he and Ned had been wanting to get forever. Therefore, he knew the price, and felt a wave of guilt at his own gift.

_‘You didn’t have to,’_ Peter insisted, his hands running over the box carefully, as if it would disintegrate under his touch. _‘it’s too much.’_

_‘Not at all,’_ May shook her head, sitting back down beside him. _‘I thought you could use it for one of your videos.’_

_‘I will, Ned’s gonna be so excited,’_ Peter smiled, the lump reforming in his throat. _‘thank you for this, May.’_

_‘You’re welcome,’_ May grinned, gently squeezing his arm before letting her gaze fall back to the tree. _‘now I think it’s time to see what Tony Stark has deemed me worthy of.’_

Tony hadn’t told Peter that he’d gotten a gift for May, and Peter had no idea what it could be, watching curiously as his aunt picked up the thin envelope, opening it and taking out a card, her eyes going wide as she read it, handing it over to Peter afterwards.

_Dear May,_

_I wanted to say thank you properly for convincing Peter to take part in our internship programme, I assure you he’ll be a welcome addition to the team. He’s told me how hard you work and how much you’ve done for him over the years, and I wanted to help him repay some of that. With that in mind, I have arranged a weekend away for you and a friend at the Winvian Farm spa in Connecticut, if anyone deserves to be pampered it’s most certainly you._

_Wishing you a pleasant Christmas_

_-TS._

If that was May’s gift, Peter couldn’t _wait_ to find out what his own was.

_‘I can’t accept that,’_ May raised an eyebrow, re-reading the card as Peter handed it back to her. _‘it’s too much.’_

_‘He could probably buy you the whole resort if you wanted.’_ Peter grinned, eyes falling to the only gift under the tree he wanted to open.

_‘True,’_ May smiled, sitting back against the couch. _‘I’ll think about it. What about you, has he bought you a Ferrari?’_

Peter knew she was joking, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Tony actually had. Getting up from the couch, he picked up the large, flat package and sat back down before opening it. He knew this wouldn’t be anything too outlandish, considering he had another present sitting underneath his pillow, but his stomach still fluttered as he peeled away the covering.

It was an official looking document, the Stark Industries logo imprinted on the top of the page.

_Dear Mr. Parker,_

_As you are aware, you have been selected to be part of the Stark Internship commencing on the 17th of January._

_Before your internship begins, we would like to extend an invitation to you to attend the Stark Internship Retreat before you begin your journey with us. The retreat is an opportunity for you and your fellow interns to get to know each other and some of the key figures involved in the internship, including Mr. Tony Stark._

_The retreat will take place over the course of one week, from the 7th to the 14th of January, the location will be revealed to you closer to the dates specified._

_Please contact us if you wish to accept this offer, we look forward to hearing from you._

_Kind regards._

Peter couldn’t help but bite his lip as he tried to not smirk at the formal language, so unlike the stream of texts Tony had sent him the previous night.

_‘What is it?’_ May asked, sitting up slightly as Peter set the paper down on his lap.

_‘Mr. Stark invited me on an internship retreat in January, like a team building exercise before we start.’_

_‘Wow, that sounds fun,’_ May smiled, Peter nodding and trying to keep a straight face. He’d already gotten to know key figure Tony Stark, and no amount of scavenger hunts or trust falls could match the bonding they’d already achieved. _‘how exciting.’_

_‘Yeah,’_ Peter smiled, shifting slightly in his seat. _‘I can’t wait.’_

_‘Well I better start dinner, do you want to get some breakfast first?’_ May asked, standing up from the couch.

_‘No, I’m okay,’_ Peter followed suit, standing up and running his hand through his hair. _‘I’ll just go get dressed.’_

Once he was ensconced in the privacy of his bedroom, Peter sat down on his bed, reaching under his pillow and taking out the other gift from Tony, his fingers trembling as he unwrapped it, his heart beating hard in his chest as he discovered a small framed certificate, delicate silver handwriting on a black, starry background, informing that a star had been named in his honour, with a message written at the bottom of the certificate.

_'For Peter Parker, so you may reside among the stars, whose celestial beauty is rivalled only by yours._

_-TS'_

There was another envelope attached, Peter’s heart still in his throat as he opened it, his smile beaming.

_I presume you've opened the first envelope? If not do that first, then come back to read this._

_Read it? Good._

_First the bad news. I couldn't convince any of the other interns to come on the retreat._

_The good news is that by convince I mean didn't ask, and by retreat I mean vacation._

_So if you feel like joining me for a week in Hawaii, I won't object._

_I can guarantee absolute privacy while we're away (if you want to come, that is. You should.) so don't worry about that._

_P.S, hope you liked your other present, there was nothing on earth that was worthy of you so I had to look further afield._

_Tony x_

Taking a deep breath, Peter tried to calm himself, refusing to believe it could be real, but desperately wanting it to be. He grabbed his phone, fingers still trembling as he typed out a message to Tony.

**Merry Christmas 🎄 Thank you for the gifts, you really didn’t have to, it’s way too generous 😳**

Laying back on his bed, Peter held his phone against his stomach, taking steady breaths. The thought of spending a week in Hawaii ( _Hawaii!_ ) with Tony was the only thing he could think about. But it was too much, there was no way he could actually go, things like that weren’t made for him. His phone buzzed in his hand, drawing his attention away.

**And to you sweetheart. You’re more than welcome for the gifts, which I really had to, I just did. In fact, if you don’t accept them I’ll be devastated. Your gift has been very happily received, and I promise it will only make my coffee table look good once I’ve given it a thorough read.**

Peter’s own gift to Tony seemed so pale in comparison to what the older man had gifted him. It had been a struggle (What do you get the man who literally has _everything_?), but Peter had chosen to give the older man the copy of Pride & Prejudice he’d bought a couple of months before, scrawling a note on the inside. 

**As you should, I think you might like it 😄 I’m sorry to devastate you but there’s no way I can accept the trip, it’s far too generous 🙈**

**Is there anything I can do to change your mind? You’ve got a valid cover story, and I promise I look as good in board shorts as I do in everything else (or nothing else, that’s how much privacy I can guarantee 😏)**

_That_ image didn’t help matters, Peter’s mind wandering to thoughts of what could be, before sitting up in his bed and running a hand over his face. There was something that might change his mind, but it would be a big step. He paced around his room for a moment, running through the pros and cons in his mind before replying to Tony, informing him of his decision.

**If that’s what it takes sweetheart, then I say go for it. I’m always here if you need me, just remember that. I promise you won’t regret it.**

Sweeping his thumb over the message, Peter smiled softly as he headed into the kitchen. As he passed through the living room he noticed the photo he’d given his aunt displayed on the shelf, nestled amongst the various other snapshots. The kitchen was a hub of activity as May prepared dinner, raising an eyebrow and smiling as Peter appeared.

_‘I thought you were getting changed?’_ She grinned, Peter wringing his hands together nervously as he took a breath.

_‘I..I wanted to tell you something first.’_

-

Holding Tony’s hand as the older man led them up the steps of the private jet, Peter’s whole body was tingling. The cool evening air whipped around them before a gentle warmth enveloped them upon entering the jet.

Tony gestured for Peter to take his seat first, before slipping into the one opposite him, smiling at the younger man. It was exhilarating, even just the journey to the airport had been exciting, Peter revelling in the whole experience of his first ever real holiday (Plus the fact that he and Tony had gotten a little carried away in the backseat, that helped). 

Taking out his phone, Peter grinned as he saw messages from May, Ned and MJ.

**Enjoy yourself Pete, hope you have an incredible time and can’t wait to hear all about it! X**

**Can’t say I’m not a little jealous (or very jealous) but have fun! 😄😄**

**Enjoy, if you see Pele tell her I said hi. x.**

The journey is a little nerve wracking at first, the experience of being on a plane (A private jet, at that) was alien but Peter soon relaxed. He decided to make the most of their time in the air and tick something off his _other_ list, Tony certainly not objecting when he emerged in the red lingerie set he’d indulged in for the holiday.

Being with Tony was paradise, but it definitely helped being in actual _paradise_ , Peter discovered. The villa Tony had rented for them was beyond luxurious, the sprawling beach laid out before it adding to the secluded, romantic feel. It was as though they were the only two people in the world, and Peter was happy to stay that way as long as he could.

They had romantic dinners on the patio, or down on the beach, they spent hours getting lost in each other in the pool or in the sea, the water cool against their sun kissed skin. They went on long walks, exploring vast, quiet trails, hands constantly intertwined and kisses stolen with every couple of steps.

But Peter’s favourite thing had to be when Tony rented them a boat for the day, siting adrift in the crystal sea, the sun beaming down on them as they laid on on the deck and just basked in each other’s company, Peter never wanting the feelings swelling in his heart to leave.

As he was scrolling through his phone, Peter smiled at the various photos they’d taken, loving how happy they looked. 

He gently set his phone down, biting his lip softly as he sat up, looking over to where Tony was laying beside him, his hands resting behind his head, a peaceful look on his face.

Getting up, Peter made his way over to the older man, gently straddling his waist and smiling as Tony’s hands fell to the brunette's thighs.

_‘I want to do something.’_

_‘What do you have in mind, baby?’_ Tony smiled, Peter’s heart catching in his throat.

_‘I..I want to..go public. I want people to know about us.’_

Tony nodded slowly, gently running his hands along Peter’s thighs, a curious look on his face before a smile adorned his lips.

_‘Are you sure, Pete? It’s a big step, and I don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for.’_

_‘I’m sure,’_ Peter nodded. He’d been thinking about it for a while, and the thought had become more and more appealing, particularly as his feelings for Tony grew more and more every day and he was confident they were reciprocated. _‘I just hope people think I’m good enough for you.’_

_‘You’re too good for me, sweetheart.’_ Tony grinned, Peter flushing slightly. _‘don’t worry what anyone thinks, they’ll love you.’_

_‘You think so?’_ Peter smiled softly, moving to lay beside the older man, resting his head on his hand as Tony’s arm draped over his waist and pulled him close.

“Of course I do,” Tony smiled, gently stroking Peter’s hip before moving his hand up to softly cup his cheek. ‘I mean, I love you, so why wouldn’t everyone else?’

Peter hadn’t thought it possible, but somehow paradise had become even more perfect, a beaming smile forming on his face.

_‘I love you too.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! I felt like I should explain why I've ended this story here, and it's because while on one hand I feel like I could keep this going for a hundred more chapters, I ultimately am just really happy with what I've done, and feel good with ending it here.
> 
> Hopefully you've enjoyed this story, I have loved writing it so much, it's been a pure joy. It was challenging at times, but in the best possible way, as the Deaf community was completely new to me writing this, but I've learned so much avout it and how incredible it is, and I hope I've been able to convey this story in a respectful, positive, loving way. Ultimately, I wanted to show that Peter, no matter what, will always be his adorable, nerdy, sweet, minxy self, and Tony wouldn't have him any other way ❤️
> 
> And finally, to everyone who has left a kudos/comment/bookmarked this story, I can only thank you again. You've been so lovely and so supportive, and have been such an inspiration to keep writing, to make the story as good as it can possibly be. I adore you all, and hope to see you again in whatever (Starker, always Starker, let's be real) story pops into my head next. Thank you again, you glorious muffins 🎉😘


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